CIS heads of state to discuss energy security, military cooperation in Dushanbe in Oct

MINSK. Sept 16 (Interfax) - The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) heads of state will discuss military cooperation and energy security at a summit in Dushanbe, CIS First Deputy Secretary General Igor Petrishenko told the press on Tuesday.

"The CIS Council of Foreign Ministers and the CIS Council of the Heads of State will meet in Dushanbe on October 9 and 10. Tajikistan is presiding in the CIS this year. We have held a series of videoconferences with respective agencies of Tajikistan to make the preparations," the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA quoted Petrishenko as saying.

"Views on further development of the Commonwealth and the general situation on the CIS external borders will be exchanged in the traditional format," he said.

"All of those issues will be on the table. The heads of state will be offered to adopt several statements. One of them concerns the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, the founders of which include independent members of the CIS," Petrishenko said.

A statement on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident will also be proposed, he said.

"We will address a concept of further military development in the CIS through the lens of elaborated approaches and practice. There will be law enforcement matters, as well, the adoption of programs for close coordination of the work of our law enforcement agencies on the prevention of crime," he said.

Interaction in the provision of regional energy security and cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism will be high on the agenda. The heads of state will discuss the work of the Human Rights Commission from the angle of cooperation in the protection of human rights.

"After a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we received an official request for granting the status of an SCO observer at the Commonwealth of Independent States. Experts are actively considering the issue. I am hoping that the work will be completed [before the CIS summit] so that we could offer the heads of state to discuss the issue and maybe make a respective decision. The entire work is scheduled, constructive and aimed at further development of our interaction in the CIS so that the documents we adopt and implement improve the wellbeing of our citizens," Petrishenko said.