Russian prosecutor general calls for CIS attendance at UN anti-corruption conference
MINSK. Jan 30 (Interfax) - The Interstate Council for the Fight against Corruption in CIS countries should be represented at the United Nations anti-corruption conference, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika has said.
"In my opinion, it would be advisable to initiate the participation of the Commonwealth of Independent States in the work of the anti-corruption conference of UN member states. Bearing in mind the tasks and functions of the Interstate Council, as a body of cooperation in the fight against corruption, I believe that a representative of this council may participate there on behalf of the CIS," Chaika said at the council's meeting in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
In November 2015, St. Petersburg is expected to host the 6th UN Anti-Corruption Conference, said the prosecutor general. This international forum is important because most UN member countries have signed the UN Convention against Corruption, he added.
At its first session on Thursday, the CIS Interstate Council for the Fight against Corruption, established in 2013, elected Belarusian Prosecutor General Alexander Konyuk as its chairman-in-office.
The chairmanship of the council will rotate among its member states.
The agreement establishing the council was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia enacted the document on October 17, 2014 after finalizing all required interstate procedures.
The council's responsibilities include "determining the priorities of cooperation, adopting joint effective measures to combat corruption, assessing the signatories' observance of their counter-corruption obligations and coordinating programs of technical support as part of the crackdown on corruption in the member states."
The prosecutor general was appointed by the president to represent Russia at the council.