DUSHANBE, April 18, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev is expected to arrive in Dushanbe today evening, a source at the government told Asia-Plus.  

During his three-day visit, Sergey Lebedev will meet with high-ranking Tajik officials to discuss issues related to Tajikistan’s rotating CIS chairmanship.

Tomorrow, Lebedev is scheduled to meet with President Emomali Rahmon, Rime Minister Oqil Oqilov and Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi.

“Issues related to Tajikistan’s rotating CIS chairmanship will be among major topics of the talks,” said the source, “Besides, our country offered to hold the next meeting of the CIS heads of government in Dushanbe on October 14.”

We will recall that Tajikistan assumed the rotating CIS chairmanship for this year and Dushanbe will host the summit of the CIS heads of state in September. 

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union.  It now consists of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.  Georgia pulled out of the organization in 2009.