MINSK, January 23. /TASS/. Russia has set six priority areas for its chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which include cooperation in the economic, military, cultural and humanitarian areas; foreign policy coordination; countering new threats; and expanding collaboration with external partners, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said.

"Today marks the first meeting of permanent representatives to the CIS in the new year, where I will represent Russia in presenting our country's priorities. <...> Today I will try to, perhaps, provide a more detailed picture of what is happening in the CIS, those aspects we want to strengthen, and those areas we would like to make more dynamic," he said. <...> These essentially include <...> roughly six spheres. They are economic cooperation; foreign policy coordination; efforts to counter new challenges and threats; military cooperation; and the cultural and humanitarian space and cooperation within it; as well as, of course, expanding collaboration with our external partners around the world."

The senior official mentioned that a "variety of activities" are envisioned in each of the areas of cooperation. "I believe that there will be activities that have not been foreseen, as ideas from our partners emerge down the road, which we then take 'on board,’" Pankin said prior to the meeting of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of the CIS Member Nations that is now convening in Minsk, during which the overall conceptual framework for Russia’s CIS chairmanship in 2024 is to be presented. "I would like to point out that the dynamics of progress of cooperation, be it economic or any other type, is generally very positive, despite all of the challenges," the Russian deputy foreign minister concluded.