Minsk to host meeting of CIS Council of Heads of Government 31 May

            The CIS Council of Heads of Government, which will gather in Minsk for a meeting on 31 May, is expected to consider 30 draft documents aimed at expanding the economic and humanitarian ties, security, cooperation in other priority areas. A significant block of issues is related to economic cooperation, one of the most important priorities of the CIS. “Extending the legal framework of the free trade zone will promote the economic cooperation between the CIS member states on the basis of the rules of the World Trade Organization,” the CIS headquarters noted. The humanitarian agenda includes the draft agreement on environmental cooperation of the CIS member states, which is timed to coincide with the Year of Environmental Awareness and Protection in the CIS. It is also planned that the heads of government of the CIS countries will discuss physical education and sport, and the prospects for establishing the single educational space. Traditionally, the CIS heads of government will consider the cooperation in security.