A session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS Member Nations CIS took place in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat yesterday. 

Turkmen media reports say foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Chairman of the Executive Committee – CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev participated in the meeting chaired by Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.

Foreign ministers reportedly adopted the Program of Actions for Enhancing Partnership between the CIS Foreign Ministries.

CIS foreign ministers exchanged views on topical issues of the international agenda and cooperation within the CIS are.  They also discussed issues related to information security, development of a joint communication system of the armed forces, and fight against illicit drug trafficking.

Business Turkmenistan (BT) reports the session participants also coordinated the documents that will be submitted for consideration to the CIS Council of Heads of State, which is meeting in Ashgabat today.  Among them are the Main Spheres of the Development of Radio Navigation for 2019-2024; the document on the implementation of the provisions of the Free Trade Zone Agreement; the document on preparation for carrying out population census in 2020; the document on the implementation of the program for the restoration of territories of countries affected by uranium mining; the document on the allocation of appropriations for the creation and development of a joint air defense system.

The ministers also approved the decision on the CIS Games.  This document will be submitted to the CIS heads of government for approval.

The next meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers will take place in Kazakhstan on April 3, 2020.

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.