Putin to attend CES, CIS summits in Astana

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Sept 15 2004

MOSCOW, September 15 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin
leaves for Astana on a working visit on Wednesday . He will meet with
the leaders of the CIS states that are forming a common economic space
(CES), while on Thursday, he will take part in a broader CIS summit.

The leaders of the four CES countries — Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine
and Belarus — will first have a narrow-format meeting, and then
continue their talks together with members of their delegations.

The four leaders are expected to sign joint documents and give a news
conference. The main item on the agenda is the discussion of the list
of 29 first-priority agreements subject to signing, presidential aide
Sergei Prikhodko told Itar-Tass.

“The implementation of these documents is expected to create the
necessary conditions for deepening economic integration and phased
headway towards free movements of goods, services, capital and labor
forces within the confines of the four states,” Prikhodko noted.

“An agreement on setting up a commission on trade and tariffs will
be signed within the framework of the prepared package of documents,
which is expected to become a single regulating body for the CES
states,” the aide said.

On Wednesday evening, a tripartite meeting will take place between
the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan: Vladimir Putin,
Robert Kocharyan and Ilkham Aliyev.

In the course of his working visit to Astana, Putin is likely to hold
a separate meeting with the summit host: Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev.