RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN-LED DELEGATION ARRIVED IN ASTANA, THE CAPITAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN. SET TO ATTEND A REGULAR SESSION OF CIS COUNCIL OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT
F riday, 22 May 2009
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan-led delegation arrived in Astana,
the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Set to attend a regular
session of CIS Council of Heads of Government, the delegation includes
Chief of Government Staff David Sargsyan, Minister of Culture Hasmik
Poghosyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, Armenian
Ambassador to Belarus Oleg Yesayan, Republic of Armenia Plenipotentiary
Representative in CIS Economic Commission Council on Economic Affairs
Artak Vardanyan, other dignitaries.
In line with the established tradition, the heads of government
delegations were received by President Noursultan Nazarbayev, the
leader of the host State.
During a meeting held at the Palace of Independence in a narrow format,
the prime ministers discussed over a dozen of issues relating to
member-States’ cooperation inclusive of joint anti-crisis action.
The heads of government approved the plan of action on the
implementation of first-stage measures (2009-2011) under the CIS
Economic Development Strategy up to 2020, the joint action plan to
establish a unified accounting system (EAS) of third-country citizens
and persons without citizenship to enter the territory of the CIS
member states, the 2009-2010 action plan for developing a common
educational space and CIS-member States’ cooperation in the field of
education and the draft action plan on adult education development
concept. The meeting has similarly endorsed the priority humanitarian
action plan for the period under review, including the measures to
be carried out in Armenia.
The heads of government signed an intergovernmental agreement
on exchange of information in the field of combating crime in
member-States.
The prime ministers signed the following resolutions: "On giving the
Russian Association of International Automobile Carriers a status of
base organization in the area of follow-up training of international
automobile carriers operating in member-States, "On continued search
for those servicemen reported missing during the 1979-1989 military
operations carried out in Afghanistan, including the search for
burial sites, exhumation, remains identification and repatriation,
"On the procedure to follow in designing and fabricating a uniform
jubilee medal dedicated to the 65th anniversary the victory had in
the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."
Then, the meeting discussed a number of financial issues, including
the member-States’ outstanding contributions to the single budget
of CIS agencies and the findings of financial and economic activity
audits carried out in 2008.
Finally, an organizational agenda has been discussed. It was=2 0decided
to hold the next meeting of heads of government during this November
in Ukraine.
The meeting was followed by a joint press conference.
After the press conference, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with
his Kazakh counterpart Karim Massimov.
The parties discussed a bilateral cooperation-related agenda. They
said to be pleased with the recently activated contacts, evidenced
by the third session of the intergovernmental commission on trade and
economic affairs, which was held last May in Yerevan. The interlocutors
concurred in that if implemented successfully, the agreements reached
at said session will foster mutually advantageous cooperation and the
deepening of ties between our two friendly countries. In conclusion,
the parties discussed ways to deal with the global financial and
economic crisis jointly.
Later today the Prime Minister-led government delegation will be back
to Yerevan.