RUSSIAN PRESIDENT SAYS FUTURE OF CIS COUNTRIES DEPENDS ON DEVELOPMENT OF THE ESTABLISHMENT

ARMENPRESS
Feb 22 2007

MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS: Non-official summit of the heads
of the CIS member countries kicked off today in Moscow with the
participation of presidents from 12 countries.

Speaking in the summit President of Russia Vladimir Putin said that
the CIS suggested that Cooperation Development Program be adopted
for the period until 2020.

"It is necessary to develop a strategy until 2020 which will be
directed towards innovations, new economy," Vladimir Putin said.

According to him, from the development of CIS depends the future of
all the member countries.

"I want to express gratitude and say that one of the candidates in
Russian presidential elections is the first vice president Dmitri
Medvedev and it is not a secret that I considered it possible to
support him actively," Putin said.

The Russian president also stated that in case of victory Medvedev
the foreign policy of Moscow in the CIS territory will not change.

Dmitri Medvedev who also delivered speech in the non-official summit
stated that CIS was and is one of the main political and economic
priorities of Russia.

"There is no alternative to the good neighborly relations established
between our peoples and development of long-term cooperation,"
he noted.

Referring to the current issues of CIS, Medvedev pointed out to
the migration issues saying that the year of 2007 was dedicated to
it. The year of 2008 in CIS is passing under the slogan of transport
cooperation and according to Medvedev works are carried out in that
direction according to the concept of transport policy adopted by
the CIS member countries in 2004.

Medvedev said that the cooperation in humanitarian sphere is also
being underscored. He also noted that events are being conducted for
promoting cultural and scientific-educational cooperation. He also
spoke about the cooperation in new technology sphere for which a
great potential exists.