CIS summit adopts anti-terrorism program

BISHKEK, September 16. /TASS/. The summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Friday adopted a program of cooperation in combating terrorism and other manifestations of extremism for a period of 2017-2019, a program of cooperation in combating cybercrimes for 2016-2020 and a number of other documents.

Thus, an extended meeting of the CIS leaders adopted statements of CIS heads of state on the 25th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, on the 70th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials, on further joint efforts to counter international terrorism and the global drug problem, and a statement on the results of the special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the global drug problem which was held in April 2016.

The CIS leaders also adopted a convention on interregional cooperation among the CIS member states, a protocol on the implementation of the agreement on defense of parties to criminal litigations on recovery of expenses linked with defense dated November 28, 2006.

Apart from that, the CIS summit passed decisions on CIS presidency transfer to Russia in 2017, on a regular meeting of the Council of the CIS Heads of State in October 2017 in Moscow, on CIS’ adjustment to the present-day realities of the development of integration processes which provides for re-allocation of a number of competences among CIS executive structures.

Among other documents signed at the summit is a package of documents on cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, including decisions on a population census in CIS countries in 2020, on the Year of Family in the CIS countries in 2017, on the Year of Culture in 2018, etc.

Sergey Lebedev, the head of the CIS Executive Committee, said the heads and representatives of all CIS member states who took part in the CIS summit in Bishkek stressed that it was vitally important to preserve that organization.

"All the participants noted the demand for the CIS was great. They called for preserving the Commonwealth, improving its work and raising its efficiency," Lebedev stressed.

Lebedev said that a decision on the need to adapt the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to modern realities had been adopted in October last year.

"There can be no talk about weakening the organization, let alone its liquidation," Lebedev stressed.