The next session of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers will take place in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on April 6.

According to the CIS Executive Committee’s website, issues related to expanding humanitarian cooperation between the CIS member nations and addressing new threats within the CIS area will top the meeting’s agenda.

The CIS foreign ministers are expected to exchange views on topical issues of international policy and cooperation within the CIS area. 

The meeting participants will also discuss a number of draft documents, most of which are aimed at expanding cooperation and ensuring security in the CIS area of responsibility, says the CIS Executive Committee. 

The Council of Foreign Minister of the CIS Member Nations is the main executive body ensuring cooperation in the field of foreign policy activities of the CIS member states on the matters of mutual interest, adopting decisions during the period between the meetings of the Council of the CIS Heads of State, the Council of the CIS Heads of Government and by their orders.  The first session of the Council took place in August 1993.

Established on December 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization.  It now consists of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.  Georgia pulled out of the organization in 2009.