Opinions & Interviews

SOCHI, 10 October (BelTA) – The CIS countries are interested in greater engagement with Ukraine and Georgia, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told journalists following the meeting of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council in Sochi on 10 October, BelTA has learned.

According to the diplomat, during the meeting special attention was given to the more active participation of the countries in the CIS activities. "We would like Ukraine and other countries, for example, Georgia which withdrew from the CIS in due time, to foster cooperation with the Commonwealth. Anyway, the CIS is still a rather powerful organization in the post-Soviet space," Vladimir Makei said.

He noted that the meeting of the CIS foreign ministers took place in a busy, positive, lively and friendly atmosphere. The ministers shared opinions on the international agenda, informed each other about the current situations in their countries and approved the documents to be submitted for consideration to the CIS Heads of State Council.

"The counterparts gave special attention to peace and security matters in our regions and in the world and to the settlement of the hot spot issues. We laid out our position on Ukraine. The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs informed us about the steps taken to settle the situation in Syria," Vladimir Makei added.