Events

MINSK, 14 September (BelTA) – Minsk will host a regular meeting of the CIS Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries in statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 19 September, BelTA learned from the press service of the CIS Executive Committee.

The permanent plenipotentiaries will review the progress in the implementation of the CIS Heads of State Council’s decision of 16 September 2016 on the CIS’ adjustment to the present-day realities.

The press service recalled that a relevant plan of action to implement this decision had been adopted earlier. The major part of the work has been completed or is about to be completed.

For instance, the list of responsibilities of the CIS Heads of State Council and the Heads of Government council has been reduced considerably. Some functions have been delegated to the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers, the CIS Economic Council, the CIS Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries, the CIS Heads of State Council, and the Commission on Economic Affairs at the CIS Economic Council in accordance with their competence. For this purposes, information materials will generally not be included in the agendas of supreme CIS bodies.

The plenipotentiaries also plan to review the progress in the implementation of the CIS Free Trade Agreement in 2016-2017.

Signed on 18 October 2011, the document is based on the principles and agreements of the World Trade Organization and is meant to ensure free trade between the states parties. In 2016-2017, several documents were adopted defining the requirements and regulation procedures for public procurement, the remuneration for the members and the chairman of the expert commission, and the compensation for their expenses.

A number of CIS member states have abolished some restricting tariff quotas and import duties in accordance with the agreement. They have decreased the use of special protection, antidumping, and compensation measures in mutual trade, reduced some export duties, and taken steps to observe the national treatment principle and facilitate payments in mutual trade.

Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev is also expected to attend the session.