News & Events in Belarus

SOCHI, 11 October (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is taking part in the CIS Heads of State Council session in Sochi, BelTA informs.

The meeting of the CIS leaders began with protocol events. Russia President Vladimir Putin welcomed the heads of the delegations. Then there was a photo opportunity.

The presidents are holding negotiations in the narrow format first. The heads of state are discussing the interaction in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The extended session with the participation of the delegations will focus on the further development of cooperation in the political, economic, cultural, humanitarian, and other fields.

The agenda of the meeting includes 17 issues. Top on the agenda are the draft statement of the CIS heads of state on supporting families and traditional family values and the draft convention of the Commonwealth of Independent States on peaceful uses of outer space.

The most important humanitarian projects on the agenda are the resolution to announce 2019 the Year of Book and 2020 the Year of the 75^th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in the CIS, the resolution to implement the CIS Capitals of Culture interstate program in Armenia in 2018, in Belarus in 2019, and in Kazakhstan in 2020.

The agenda traditionally includes questions concerning security and prevention of new challenges and threats. The focus will be on the ways to bolster cooperation in the CIS, to improve the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and adapt it to the modern realities. Organizational issues are also discussed.