CIS Heads of State Council to highlight security issues at Minsk meeting in October

"At today's meeting of the CIS Permanent Plenipotentiaries Council we plan to consider six issues. Among them is the development of the agendas of the forthcoming meetings of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council and the CIS Heads of State Council which are due in Minsk on 24-25 October. We also plan to consider the draft agenda of the CIS Heads of Government Council that is to take place in Russia on 20 November. Besides, we will analyze the results of the CIS development concept and security issues in particular," Vasily Pugachev said.

In his words, the draft agenda of the CIS Heads of State Council meeting includes about 20 issues that can be divided into three groups: security, humanitarian activities and organizational issues.

"Speaking about cooperation in the security area, I would like to emphasize a special role of the CIS further development concept adopted by the CIS heads of state. The concept envisages a program and goal-oriented approach which main point is in the development of special programs for the priority areas in the CIS," Vasily Pugachev said noting that the efficiency of the approach has already been proved by a considerable progress in crime reduction in the CIS. Thus, the crime rate fell 4.7% in 2009, 7.3% in 2010, 3.2% in 2011, 5.2% in 2012.

The agenda of the CIS Heads of State Council meeting will include four issues related to the adoption of the relevant programs on cooperation in the security area for 2014-2018. These are the programs to fight crime, illegal drugs traffic, terrorism and trafficking in persons.

It is also expected that the agenda of the meeting will include the issue of developing joint investigation and operational groups in the CIS with an aim of a more constructive cooperation against crime. Keeping in mind an increase in IT crimes, the meeting will consider a concept of joint action to combat such crimes.

Other documents envisaged for consideration will include the announcement of the year of 2014 the Year of Tourism and the year 2015 the Year of the Veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in the Commonwealth of Independent States. "In this respect there are plans to consider the institution of state awards to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War," Vasily Pugachev added, BelTA informs.

As for the organizational issues, Vasily Pugachev noted a report of Chairwoman of the VIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Valentina Matviyenko regarding the implementation of the decisions of the CIS bodies as well as the issues regarding the 2014 Presidency in the CIS and the next meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council.

Vasily Pugachev stressed that despite the global economic crisis, the CIS has been demonstrating positive dynamics. "In the first half of 2013 GDP increased by 2%, capital investment by more than 1.3%, transportation of goods by 9%, retail trade by 8%. These figures show that the CIS has potential. The main objective for the CIS bodies is to find the ways of its realization," the Belarusian official said.