The CIS member states will try to make the most of the integration opportunities offered by the organization. This statement was made by Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee – Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev at a plenary session of the international conference 20 Years of the CIS on 28 September, BelTA has learnt.

Sergei Lebedev said that the CIS development concept adopted in October 2007 marked a brand new stage in the history of the organization. “This policy document is designed to tackle the major issue, that is to enhance the efficiency of the integration,” he said. The document provides for gradual evolution of the organization, preservation of the comprehensive nature of the CIS, taking advantage of new and existing cooperation opportunities. The major long-term goal of the CIS is to form an economic and political alliance of the interested countries to promote the interests of each of them.

Reviewing the CIS development over the 20 years, Sergei Lebedev emphasized that the major achievement of the organization was creating an environment conducive to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation taking into consideration national interests of all the CIS Participating states. “Established in the times of geopolitical transformations, the Commonwealth not only helped address the most pressing problems of the time, but also contributed to preserving and promoting trade, economic and humanitarian links and maintaining stability and security in the region,” he said. The CIS member states developed a legal framework of the interstate cooperation. Sectoral cooperation has proved efficient, too. Today the CIS operates over 70 joint agencies across all the fields.

Sergei Lebedev believes that the major objective of the organization now is to complete the formation of the free trade zone. He pointed to the delays and issues with the harmonization of the document caused by different interests of the stakeholders. However, the agreement is expected to be signed within a year. The document will help ramp up cooperation, build up the trade, enhance integration and make the CIS economic space an important segment of the global market.