16TH CIS SUMMIT OPENS IN MOSCOW
Itar-Tass
22.02.2008, 14.11
MOSCOW, February 22 (Itar-Tass) – The leaders of the Commonwealth of
Independent States met for their 16th summit in Moscow on Friday. Two
of its participants – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan are taking place in the forum for the last
time in the capacity of heads of states.
Putin’s term in office expires in early May. Russia will hold the
presidential election on March 2.
In Armenia, incumbent Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan won the
presidential election on Tuesday.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will meet with
heads of CIS states on Friday.
A high-ranking Kremlin official told Itar-Tass that "First Deputy
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will make a report at the forum,
per preliminary agreement with the CIS leaders."
The summiteers are planning to consider "interaction in the
implementation of joint projects in the social and humanitarian sphere
which are consonant with the national projects in Russia supervised
by Medvedev."
The forum will be opened by incumbent CIS chairman Kurmanbek Bakiyev,
and summit host Vladimir Putin will briefly address his colleagues.
Taking part in the CIS top-level meeting will be Presidents Alexander
Lukashenko (Belarus), Nursultan Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan), Viktor
Yushchenko (Ukraine), Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (Turkmenistan),
Emomali Rakhmon (Tajikistan), Vladimir Voronin (Moldova), Mikhail
Saakashvili (Georgia), Ilkham Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Islam Karimov
(Uzbekistan).
The upcoming event will be the 16th forum brining together CIS
leaders in which Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate,
the Kremlin said.
"Up to date, there have been 15 meetings the Council of CIS leaders
since January 2000, including four informal ones," a Kremlin insider
said.
He underlined that the "development of interaction with CIS states
remains a most important priority in Russia’s foreign and economic
policies for a long-term perspective."
The Kremlin representative also said that "during the informal meting
(in accordance with the establish practice, there’s no rigid agenda),
the parties are expected to consider the pressing issues of cooperation
within the CIS framework in the economic and political fields."