MINSK, May 27. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that the Commonwealth of Independent States should set more serious tasks for improving its activity.
"We need to somehow think, given the experience, about what the CIS will ultimately deal with and set more serious tasks and if I can say so, to make a breakthrough in this organization," Lukashenko told a meeting on Thursday with Chairman of the Executive Committee and Executive Secretary of the CIS Sergei Lebedev, the BelTA news agency reported.
Lukashenko noted that currently, the CIS is a discussion platform focusing on serious and crucial issues. "Nonetheless, I think we need to fill our organization with some particular issues. In fact, this could be an umbrella organization above the EAEU, the CSTO and so on," Lukashenko said. "We should have an open debate with the heads of state, if they are ready to move in the direction of other, closer associations. Let’s say the EAEU in the economy and the CSTO in the military and political sector," he noted.
The Belarusian leader said he would lobby this issue should it be worked out and submitted by the Executive Committee. According to him, all this is needed to offer the heads of state to speak about the need to "give more dynamics and greater authority and weight to the organization."
"Why am I saying this - that’s because the events of the past days, weeks and months are a bright example that we should be closer. I don’t want someone to think that I’m trying to involve the CIS countries in the problems of Belarus, linked to the recent incidents [with the Ryanair flight] and so on. No, this is not about this," Lukashenko said. "We need to think about the future more seriously. And these incidents - they were, they are and they will be."
At the meeting, the sides confirmed that the CIS summit in Minsk will be held at the level of the heads of state on October 15. Meanwhile, Lukashenko stated that the possibility of holding a face-to-face meeting in Minsk was recently discussed at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which was held via a video link-up. "We planned that on the eve [of the summit of the heads of state] we will hold a meeting of the EAEU and the presidents will meet to discuss certain issues, which need to be discussed. And the next day as planned we will meet in the framework of the CIS. I’m ready for this, to meet the heads of state here with you in a face-to-face format and present serious issues for discussion".