CIS Council of Heads of Migration Services to convene in Troitsk on 6 June

The agenda of the session features 14 points, including migration situation in the CIS, joint efforts to combat illegal migration, cooperation in personnel training and enhancement of qualifications.

The members of the Council will share best practices in establishing subdivisions to monitor observation of migration laws by foreign nationals and implementation of readmission agreements. Belarus' representatives will inform the participants of the meeting about Belarus' work with asylum seekers and refugees.

The experts will review the state of efforts to elaborate bilateral agreements aimed to draw migrant workers to the CIS member states and establish a single record keeping system for nationals of third countries and stateless persons entering the CIS member states.

The heads of the migration services will discuss strategies of cooperation with mass media, prospects to implement "educational migration" in the CIS, a draft cooperation program to combat illegal migration and a number of other matters.

The CIS Council of Heads of Migration Services was set up in 2007 to coordinate efforts in the field of migration policy. It sets forth priority cooperation targets, and helps harmonize national legislations and protect the rights and legal interests of migrants. The Council also promotes integration of databanks of foreign nationals and stateless persons maintained by the CIS member states, and fosters implementation of interstate and intergovernmental migration documents, BelTA reports.

The Council is composed of the heads of the migration services of Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of Ukraine and the International Organization for Migration have an observer status in the organization.