DUSHANBE, September 15, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- A two-day meeting of the Joint Commission of States, Parties to the “Agreement on Cooperation between CIS Member States on Countering Illegal Migration” has opened in Kiev, Ukraine today.

The CIS Executive Committee press center reports the session is considering 16 issues.  The meeting participants will consider issues related to signs of illegal migration, risk factors for illegal migration within the CIS area, channels of illegal migrations and methods and sources of illegally getting entry permits and other documents and mechanisms of use of them.

They will also share experience in improvement of technical and other types of protection of passports, entry permits and other documents used for entering and leaving states and introduction of biometric data and identity documents.

Issues related to implementation of the program for cooperation between the CIS member nations on countering illegal migration designed for 2012-2014 and the plan of work of the Joint Commission for the next year are also among major topics of the meeting.

In the meantime, the press center of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) reports that the CSTO Coordinating Council of Heads of Competent Agencies to Combat Illegal Migration has met in the Belarusian capital Minsk today.

The meeting participants are reviewing the results of the first stage of joint illegal migration prevention events and operations that were carried out within the CSTO area.

International cooperation on countering illegal migration, reviewing the results of work of working groups to support refugees and asylum-seeking persons and creation of the single interstate database of the lost, illegally issued and invalid identity and visa documents are also in the focus of the meeting in Minsk, the source said.