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Medvedev arrives in Yalta to attend meeting of Council Council of CIS Heads of State

The CIS heads of government will discuss, among other things, ways to speed up the ratification of the free trade zone agreement

YALTA, September 27 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Yalta to attend a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State and the III International Investment Business Forum on September 28.

Medvedev is also scheduled to have bilateral talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov, as well as his counterparts Mikhail Myasnikovich of Belarus, Vlad Filat of Moldova and Tigran Sargsyan on Armenia.

The CIS heads of government will discuss, among other things, ways to speed up the ratification of the free trade zone agreement in the Commonwealth of Independent States, a source in the Russian government told Itar-Tass.

“For Russia, Belarus and Ukraine it will became effective on September 20 of this year. Armenia has complete ratification procedures, and the agreement will take affect for it on October 17. The other signatories -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan – are expected to ratify it by the end of the year,” the source said.

The CIS free trade zone agreement was signed on October 18, 2011 in St. Petersburg by the heads of government from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Moldova, and Kyrgyzstan. Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan did not sign the document but said they would join in.

The agenda of the Council’s meeting includes 21 matters, such as development of the join air defence system in the CIS; financial issues, and cooperation ion the field of innovations.

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