MINSK, 14 February (BelTA) – Belarus invites the CEI states to establish closer cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said at the first meeting of the CEI Committee of National Coordinators (CNC) under the auspices of Belarus CEI presidency in 2017, BelTA has learned.
“We invite the CEI member states to consider establishing closer cooperation with the developing integration associations in the East such as the EEU and the CIS. We view it as reasonable taking into account common economic interests and the context of promoting connectivity between different integration processes in Europe,” said Vladimir Makei.
The minister emphasized that Belarus will do its best to expand the CEI cooperation with other international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the OSCE, the International Organization for Migration, the Council of Europe, the UNESCO, the Visegrad Group, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Council of the Baltic Sea States and others. “We are planning a series of joint events throughout the year to address the existing challenges within the region and beyond its borders,” he noted.
Belarus also attaches close attention to the CEI reforms that were launched under the auspices of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency last year. “This is a necessary element for successful adjustment of our organization to the changes that have taken place in the region over the past decade, including through the renewal of the main areas of the CEI activity, its cooperation formats and mechanisms,” Vladimir Makei added.