CIS ready to continue cooperating with Ukraine

MINSK. KAZINFORM The countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are ready to continue cooperating with Ukraine, Vice Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Agybay Smagulov said before a regular meeting of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of the CIS member states in Minsk on 26 July, Kazinform learnt from BELTA.

«The CIS countries are ready to continuecooperation with Ukraine,» Agybay Smagulov said.

The permanent plenipotentiaryrepresentatives are set to approve the draft agenda of the regular meetings ofthe CIS Council of the CIS Heads of State which will be held in Ashgabat onOctober 11.

«In accordance with the procedure, afterwe approve the draft agenda we will forward it to the chairman of the Councilof Heads of State. After approval the document together with the materials anddocuments on all matters to be included in the agenda will be on-sent to headsof all states, including Ukraine. They will be informed that the CIS summitwill take place on 11 October,» Agybay Smagulov said.

Agybay Smagulov also emphasized that, asa rule, the head of the country presiding in the CIS also sends invitations, onhis own behalf, to all presidents of the CIS countries. «Thus, I expect thatthis year the presiding Turkmenistan will send an invitation to the Ukrainianpresident. Last year, by the way, after the Council of Heads of State meeting,which was held in Dushanbe, all materials were also sent to the heads of state,which, of course, contained the information about the planned CIS summit inAshgabat this year. So Kiev knows that the Council of Heads of State willconvene on 11 October 11,» he stressed.

The vice chairman of the CIS ExecutiveCommittee stressed that Ukraine is de jure a participant to the CIS projects.«The Ukrainian authorities are aware of this and may well decide to participatein all meetings of the councils, including the highest body - the Council ofHeads of State,» added Agybay Smagulov.