Belarus outlines key priorities for CIS development
06.04.2026
MOSCOW (
BelTA) – The CIS International Economic Forum “35 Years of the CIS: Developing Greater Eurasian Partnership” took place in Moscow on 3 April. The Belarusian side was headed by Special Representative of the Republic of Belarus for Integration Cooperation within the CIS, Belarus’ Ambassador to Russia Yuri Seliverstov, BelTA has learned.
“The key areas for cooperation in the medium term should include industrial cooperation, food security, transport and logistics, modern digital technologies, communications infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and the strengthening of cybersecurity. It is important to share national infrastructure, for example, between two or three countries,” Yuri Seliverstov said.
According to him, the CIS should make a more active use of the EAEU and Union State's best practices. This includes setting up a systematic process to involve interested member countries in developing joint cooperative projects and implementing innovative solutions, particularly to achieve technological sovereignty in industry, agriculture, and medicine.
“Summing up the 35 years of the CIS development, we can confidently say that the CIS has proven its relevance and effectiveness. But life does not stand still. To keep making progress, we need to understand why the CIS platform is necessary, what shared problems we can solve, and what results we expect,” the ambassador noted.
“The anniversary is taking place at a time of major geopolitical shifts, drastic changes in the global economy and increasing sanctions pressure on independent states. Under these conditions, the only way to survive is to work together. Today’s situation demands quick responses, coordinated measures and a clear protective strategy. As a result, the potential of CIS becomes particularly relevant for developing common economic approaches within the CIS. In particular, the free trade area allows significant shares of goods to circulate within our association, ensuring economic security and independence for member states. We need to raise the level of that security and independence,” Ambassador Yuri Seliverstov said.
“The key areas for cooperation in the medium term should include industrial cooperation, food security, transport and logistics, modern digital technologies, communications infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and the strengthening of cybersecurity. It is important to share national infrastructure, for example, between two or three countries,” Yuri Seliverstov said.
According to him, the CIS should make a more active use of the EAEU and Union State's best practices. This includes setting up a systematic process to involve interested member countries in developing joint cooperative projects and implementing innovative solutions, particularly to achieve technological sovereignty in industry, agriculture, and medicine.
“Summing up the 35 years of the CIS development, we can confidently say that the CIS has proven its relevance and effectiveness. But life does not stand still. To keep making progress, we need to understand why the CIS platform is necessary, what shared problems we can solve, and what results we expect,” the ambassador noted.
“The anniversary is taking place at a time of major geopolitical shifts, drastic changes in the global economy and increasing sanctions pressure on independent states. Under these conditions, the only way to survive is to work together. Today’s situation demands quick responses, coordinated measures and a clear protective strategy. As a result, the potential of CIS becomes particularly relevant for developing common economic approaches within the CIS. In particular, the free trade area allows significant shares of goods to circulate within our association, ensuring economic security and independence for member states. We need to raise the level of that security and independence,” Ambassador Yuri Seliverstov said.