Kazakh President suggests drafting 2035 CIS Development Strategy
A common task at this new historical juncture is to strengthen the potential of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as an authoritative international organization and adapt it to new geopolitical realities, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State, Qazinform News Agency cites Akorda.
The President then outlined key areas of cooperation. The first, in his view, is defining the long-term priorities of the CIS.
He said the current CIS Development Concept was approved in 2007 and updated six years ago. The programs and documents adopted subsequently are sector-specific and often lack coordination with one another.
He proposed to integrate them into a single, interconnected system.
"Therefore, I propose that the CIS Executive Committee, jointly with our governments, begin work on a CIS Development Strategy through 2035. It is important to focus on priorities of fundamental importance to our countries, namely the economy, energy, infrastructure, high technology, and human capital. Such an approach will help ensure consistency and continuity in our efforts to achieve sustainable progress,” the President said.
According to the Head of State, deepening economic cooperation and enhancing industrial and technological partnerships are of particular importance.
He emphasized that CIS markets have traditionally been highly significant for Kazakhstan, accounting for more than a quarter of the country’s foreign trade turnover.
Last year, trade turnover with CIS countries reached nearly 40 billion US dollars, and in the first seven months of this year it increased by 10 percent.
The Head of State announced Kazakhstan’s portfolio of industrial projects involving the Russian Federation includes 178 projects and initiatives worth a total of 61 billion US dollars, 124 of which have already been implemented. Work is underway with Uzbekistan on 80 projects valued at around 2 billion US dollars. Together with Belarus, Kazakhstan established joint production of specialized and agricultural machinery.
Earlier, the President of Kazakhstan called on CIS countries to strengthen dialogue based on mutual trust.
As written before, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Turkmenistan for a working visit.
