CIS Heads of Government Council to consider innovation cooperation program results

MINSK, 28 March (BelTA) – The results of the implementation of CIS interstate innovation cooperation program in 2012 will be discussed at a meeting of the CIS Heads of Government Council in Minsk on 31 May 2013, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee – Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev told media on 28 March.

On 28 March Minsk is hosting a joint meeting of the CIS Permanent Plenipotentiaries Council and the Economic Affairs Commission under the CIS Economic Council.

The agenda comprises four important issues regarding strengthening of economic cooperation and preparations for the forthcoming meeting of the CIS Heads of Government Council which is due in Minsk on 31 May, Sergei Lebedev said. “According to the preliminary data, the agenda of the forthcoming meeting will comprise 19 issues covering all areas of the Commonwealth activity. Among them is humanitarian, economic, security cooperation,” he said.

The issue concerning Uzbekistan’s accession to the free trade zone agreement will top the agenda. “We hope that on 31 May Uzbekistan will become the ninth state member of the agreement,” Sergei Lebedev noted. The agreement took effect in six countries which had ratified it. The ratification process is underway in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. “We hope that this process will be completed this year,” Sergei Lebedev added.

Two issues on the agenda of the Minsk meeting will concern innovation cooperation in the Commonwealth. “The participants of the meeting will consider the results of the implementation of the CIS interstate innovation cooperation program in 2012 and the first projects of the joint innovation cooperation that are to be submitted to the heads of government,” Sergei Lebedev said.

Besides, some issues will touch upon cooperation in education. “Two CIS establishments, educational and scientific, will be considered for confirmation them as basic to prepare research works in the CIS,” Sergei Lebedev noted.

A number of agreements have been worked out. They will be submitted to the heads of government at the meeting. First of all, it is an agreement on cooperation in environmental protection as well as an agreement envisaging joint activity in wildfires in the Commonwealth. These are very important issues, Sergei Lebedev stressed.

Today’s joint meeting of the CIS Permanent Plenipotentiaries Council and the Economic Affairs Commission under the CIS Economic Council is also expected to take stock of the implementation of the Commonwealth further development concept adopted in 2007. A lot has been already done here, Sergei Lebedev emphasized. An important achievement of this concept was the free trade zone agreement signed in 2011 as well as a wide range of interstate programs on cooperation in innovations, nuclear energy, rail transport and power.

Besides, today’s meeting will also consider the issue regarding the performance of the CIS councils. Today there are 68 of them working in various areas. Among the most efficient Sergei Lebedev named the CIS electric power council, the council on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the railroad transport council, the coordination council of transport workers.