OREANDA-NEWS. November 14, 2008. Being a regional organization with a stable economic development, the CIS should play a prominent part in the formation of a new global financial architecture, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said at the session of the Council of the CIS Heads of Government (CIS CHG), reported the Official website www.government.by.

Sergei Sidorsky said that the narrow-format meeting of the CIS heads of government featured the discussion of the global financial crisis and its negative impact on the economy of the CIS member states.

“The efficiency of the joint crisis-management efforts will determine the scale of the negative impact of the crisis on the social and economic processes in our countries, ” he underlined.

The head of the Belarusian Government said that the Heads of State participating in the Bishkek summit in October had decided to set up a permanent committee on the level of finance ministries to work out proposals to respond to the crisis. “The ministers have already started working on these proposals. We have agreed to closely monitor the progress and as early as on December, 12 this year we will hear a report on the measures suggested by the financial and economic institutions of our countries,” Sergei Sidorsky said.

It is crucial that the CIS and its bodies should undertake joint efforts to address the current problems, improve the economic situation in the CIS member states, create favorable living and working conditions for people, Sergei Sidorsky underlined. Talking about the documents that constitute the agenda of the CIS CHG session, Sergei Sidorsky pointed out the importance of some of them.

They include the CIS economic development strategy for the period till 2020, cooperation in the transport area, joint efforts to raise the food security, cooperation in the area of innovation projects and the further improvement of the CIS structure. The session is to arrive at a decision regarding migration and financial issues and cooperation in the humanitarian area.

“I hope that this session will help enhance the integration within the Commonwealth,” the Belarusian Prime Minister underlined.

Moldova will take every effort to make its presidency in the CIS in 2009 successful, President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin said at a meeting between the CIS Heads of Government in Chisinau on November 14.

Vladimir Voronin confirmed Moldova’s readiness for a close cooperation and expressed hope for the Council of the CIS Heads of Government to be successful and fruitful. In his words, the most important issues included into the agenda of the summit are of economic significance: the CIS economic development strategy up to 2020, documents on the priority cooperation areas in the transport area and a set of joint measures to enhance the CIS food safety.

According to the President of Moldova, addressing these issues would meet the common interests in expanding and strengthening the trade and economic cooperation between the CIS member-states and would help use the existing potential in full.

The next session of the Council of the CIS Heads of Government (CIS CHG) will take place in Astana in 2009, Chairman of the Executive Committee – the CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said at the CIS CHG session. In his words, the decision was taken at the CIS CHG narrow session. The summiteers also decided upon the 2009 common budget of the CIS bodies and the 2008 common budget of the CIS bodies financed from the budgets of the CIS member-states.

The CIS Heads of Government adopted the economic development strategy of the Commonwealth of the Independent States up to 2020. On October 10, 2008, the presidents approved the document and instructed the heads of government to take a final decision on the document after it has been finalized.

The strategy is aimed at giving new impetuses to the economic development of the CIS member states, ensuring stable and well-balanced economic growth, economic security, increasing the well-being and quality of life on the basis of a synergy effect of the large-scale production of cost-effective goods, works and services, competitiveness of the national economies of the CIS, strengthening of their positions in the global economy.

The strategy is a comprehensive document covering the period up to 2020 and representing a system of mutually coordinated views of the CIS countries upon the common goals, priorities and prospects of the socio-economic development given the strengthening interstate economic relations aimed at making the Commonwealth a considerable participant of the system of the international economic relations.

The strategy assesses the place of the CIS in the world economic system and the whole economic situation in the Commonwealth, provides major goals and targets of the economic integration, cooperation aspects, determines the main cooperation areas in the economy.

The document spells out the priorities of the development of the cooperation in the CIS. For example, these are the completion of the formation of the free trade zone in the CIS in line with the WTO requirements, the formation of the prerequisites for the development of the common economic space, common markets of some products, formation of the network of international transport corridors, strengthening of cooperation in energy in order to enhance energy supply reliability and optimization of fuel and energy resources; formation of the systems of the interstate innovation area based on the national innovation systems; creation of efficient mechanisms of the currency and finance cooperation; development of the private sector based on the expansion of the economic freedoms, strengthening of the rights of property and legality, development of the state and private partnership.

The CIS member states will design an interstate target innovation cooperation programme by 2020, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told reporters after a session of the CIS Council of the Heads of Government on November 14 in Kishinev.

According to him, the decision to prepare the programme was taken at the session of the council in Kishinev. The participants also approved the plan of most important action to increase the efficiency of leasing in investment process in the CIS for the period until 2010.

The participants of the session also analyzed the course of implementation of the most important measures aimed at enhancing the efficiency of economic interaction of the CIS member-states by 2010.

“Belarus was responsible for fulfilling two tasks: to ensure the transition to the international certificate of weighing transport vehicles and to make a feasibility study as to implementing long-term programmes based on macro-technologies,” Sergei Sidorsky said.

The Council of the Heads of Government instructed the Economy Council and Executive Committee of the CIS, ministries and agencies to take additional measures to implement the plan.

The CIS Heads of Government adopted the economic development strategy of the Commonwealth of Independent States by 2020. According to Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky, the strategy will be implemented in three stages. The document embraces the issues of unified transport policy and a set of joint measures to increase food security of the CIS member states. The CIS Council of the Heads of Government took a corresponding decision regarding each of these three areas.

“In general, the strategy will help us develop economic interaction, use the socio-economic potential of each of the CIS member states and the Commonwealth on the whole, increase the competitiveness of the economy. We will create the conditions to integrate into the world economy and will be continuously improving the wellbeing of our citizens,” Sergei Sidorsky said.

A reminder, on October 10, 2008, the presidents approved the document and instructed the heads of government to take a final decision on the document after it has been finalized.

The strategy is aimed at giving new impetuses to the economic development of the CIS member states, ensuring stable and well-balanced economic growth, economic security, increasing the well-being and quality of life on the basis of a synergy effect of the large-scale production of cost-effective goods, works and services, competitiveness of the national economies of the CIS, strengthening of their positions in the global economy.

The strategy is a comprehensive document covering the period up to 2020 and representing a system of mutually coordinated views of the CIS countries upon the common goals, priorities and prospects of the socio-economic development given the strengthening interstate economic relations aimed at making the Commonwealth a considerable participant of the system of the international economic relations. The strategy assesses the place of the CIS in the world economic system and the whole economic situation in the Commonwealth, provides major goals and targets of the economic integration, cooperation aspects, determines the main cooperation areas in the economy.

The document spells out the priorities of the development of the cooperation in the CIS. For example, these are the completion of the formation of the free trade zone in the CIS in line with the WTO requirements, the formation of the prerequisites for the development of the common economic space, common markets of some products, formation of the network of international transport corridors, strengthening of cooperation in energy in order to enhance energy supply reliability and optimization of fuel and energy resources; formation of the systems of the interstate innovation area based on the national innovation systems; creation of efficient mechanisms of the currency and finance cooperation; development of the private sector based on the expansion of the economic freedoms, strengthening of the rights of property and legality, development of the state and private partnership.

he CIS member states use Belarus’ experience in combating illegal migration, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said after a session. “Belarus willingly shares its experience with other CIS states,” Sergei Sidorsky said. He reminded that the international migration personnel training centre that has been opened in Minsk has helped to use more actively the potential of international cooperation in addressing migration issues in the region.

On November 14 the session of the CIS Council of the Heads of Government heard a report of the joint commission of the states – parties to the agreement on cooperation in combating illegal migration. “I would like to note that Belarus has never been indifferent to this problem. We have been counteracting illegal migration though it is quite expensive for a small country like Belarus. The concept of the national migration policy and migration legislation, two national migration programmes and other measures have allowed Belarus regulate the migration processes,” Sergei Sidorsky said.

The heads of government signed the convention on the legal status of working migrants and their families of the CIS member states. It is aimed at regulating the legal state of working migrants, ensuring the principle of equal treatment of working migrants and citizens of a receiving state in everything that is related to the work and living conditions.

CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev thanked Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky for the active participation in the preparation of a number of CIS documents. After the session of the Council of the CIS Heads of Government (CIS CHG) that took place in Chisinau on November 14, Sergei Lebedev told reporters that following its election as the CHG President, Belarus immediately presented a concrete programme on the CIS further development.

He underlined that 2008 saw an efficient interaction between the CIS executive bodies and branch ministries and agencies.