Events

MINSK, 4 January (BelTA) – Belarus’ relations with the CIS member states and Georgia were characterized by traditional intensiveness and high level of contacts in 2017, reads the Annual Review of Foreign Policy of the Republic of Belarus and Activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017 published on the website of the ministry, BelTA informs.

“In 2017, the Commonwealth of Independent States put an increased focus on the further implementation of the decision of the CIS Council of Heads of State to adapt the organization to the modern realities. Several matters remained among Belarus’ priorities in the economic dimension in 2017: further elimination of the existing trade barriers as part of the implementation of the CIS Free Trade Agreement, formation of a single public procurement market, and further efforts to develop a free trade area for services. Minsk helped fill the CIS agenda with specific content which can produce a synergistic effect on the economic development of the CIS member states,” the ministry said.

Several events were held in the CIS in 2017, namely a session of the CIS Heads of State Council (Sochi, 11 October), an informal meeting of the CIS heads of state (Moscow, 26 December), two sessions of the CIS Heads of Government Council (Kazan, 6 May and Tashkent, 3 November), two sessions of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council (Tashkent, 7 April and Sochi, 10 October), four sessions of the CIS Economic Council (Moscow, 17 March, 16 June, 15 September, and 15 December), and also a number of events within the framework of the CIS Parliamentary Assembly with the participation of the Council of the Republic and the House of Representatives of Belarus’ National Assembly.