OREANDA-NEWS. August 15, 2008. Traditional consultations of representatives of CIS member states in the run-up to the 63rd UN General Assembly Session opening on September 16 took place in Moscow on August 13 in accordance with the Plan of Multi-Level CIS Inter-MFA Consultations.

The representatives of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the CIS Executive Committee took part. Ukraine’s representative attended the consultations as observer.

G. M. Gatilov, Director of the Russian MFA Department of International Organizations, chaired the event.

The constructive exchange of views confirmed the identity or similarity of the CIS member countries’ positions on priority areas of UN activity and their common interest in strengthening the central role of the Organization in world affairs.

The participants of the consultations were unanimous in assessment of the great importance of the upcoming session, designed to consolidate the efforts of the international community in the fight against global challenges and threats and to facilitate increasing the effectiveness of the UN system of collective security and dealing with topical global socioeconomic and ecological problems.

The necessity was stressed of coordinating and further deepening practical interaction among the CIS member states on a number of most topical issues for the Commonwealth on the agenda of the upcoming session and the importance was noted of making maximum use of collective UN mechanisms and capabilities to neutralize the challenges to regional security emanating from international terrorism and assist economic development within the CIS area.

The consultations passed in a constructive and businesslike atmosphere. Agreement was reached to continue regular contacts between delegations of CIS member states during the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly.