SAMARKAND, April 14. /TASS/. Russia’s trade with the CIS countries is growing despite the prospects of secondary sanctions from the United States and the European Union, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press briefing after his visit to Uzbekistan on Friday.

"Despite threats from the United States and the European Union to all our partners not to cooperate with Russia and Belarus under the fear of so-called secondary sanctions and other types of punishment, trade in the CIS is growing. Last year it rose by over 6% and its volume surpassed $100 bln," he added.

The Minister stated that the present projects and plans, including those for the CIS Council of Heads of Government meeting on June 8, "suggest a focus on promising developments of modern technologies, primarily in areas that are critical for each state."

Earlier, CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev stated that the meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) heads of government will be held in Sochi on June 7-8. He stated that the meeting's agenda is extensive, with the primary issue being an agreement on free trade in services, according to Russia.