Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Inter-MFA consultations on the topic "On cooperation within the framework of the CIS in 2023" were held on 7-8 February at the headquarters of the Commonwealth.

The consultations were attended by representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the CIS Executive Committee. This was reported by the press service of the CIS Executive Committee.

Speaking about the tasks of further development of cooperation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the participants of the consultations outlined the prospects for expanding foreign policy, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, cooperation in the spheres of security and countering new challenges and threats.

The diplomats noted the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the CIS in 2022 and expressed support for the efforts of Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship in 2023.

Representatives of the foreign ministries confirmed the focus of their countries on the consistent development of cooperation in the CIS format, strengthening the coordination of positions and expanding the practice of supporting the initiatives of the CIS member states in the international arena, preparing joint statements on topical issues on the international agenda.

Tajikistan expressed gratitude to the CIS member states for supporting the initiative of the President of the Republic to declare 2025 the International Year for the Preservation of Glaciers, enshrined in the relevant resolution of the UN General Assembly.

The participants of the consultations suggested that the CIS Executive Committee continue to work on expanding cooperation with other international organizations, and also advocated intensifying work on establishing partner and observer statuses in the CIS. The importance of deepening the interaction of the CIS with the EAEU, the CSTO, and the SCO was noted.

Representatives of the CIS countries stated that economic cooperation is a key factor in further deepening the integration and sustainable development of states, spoke in favor of signing the Agreement on Free Trade in Services as soon as possible.

The participants of the consultations also noted the importance of launching expert work on draft constituent documents of an international organization created under the auspices of the CIS to support and promote the Russian language. In this regard, the representatives of Kazakhstan informed about the ongoing preparation of relevant proposals.

In addition, the meeting reviewed the results of the implementation in 2022 of the Plan of multi-level inter-MFA consultations and the Program of Action to intensify partnership between the foreign ministries of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.