Foreign ministers from the CIS member nations will gather in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, on April 7 to discuss cooperation.

Foreign ministers of Armenia (Edvard Nalbaldyan), Belarus (Vladimir Makey), Kazakhstan (Kairat Abdrahmanov), Kyrgyzstan (Erlan Abdyldayev), Russia (Sergei Lavrov), Tajikistan (Sirojiddin Aslov) and the CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev have confirmed their participation in the meeting, Uzbek Foreign Minister Anvar Nasirov told reporters in Tashkent on April 4.

Azerbaijan, Moldova and Turkmenistan will be represented by deputy foreign ministers. 

16 issues have reportedly been tabled to the meeting’s agenda; ten of them will be submitted for approval to the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government. 

According to the CIS Executive Committee’s website, a draft statement by foreign ministers on the inadmissibility of discrimination and intolerance against Christians, Muslims and representatives of other faiths is among the most relevant issues.

The Russian side is the developer of the statement and the initiator of its adoption.

Azernews reports that the document, in particular, notes the importance of establishing mutual tolerance and respect among citizens, who profess different religions and refuse to profess any, between religious organizations of different faiths, preventing religious fanaticism or extremism and actions aimed at opposing and aggravating relations, inciting hatred between various denominations.

Besides, the results of the multi-level inter-ministerial consultations in 2016 will be summed up and the plan for 2017 will be approved. 

Moreover, the Council of Ministers will decide on the implementation of the program "Cultural Capitals of the Commonwealth" in 2018 in Armenia (Goris), in 2019 in Belarus (Brest), and in 2020 in Kazakhstan (Shymkent).

The CIS foreign ministers will also consider the issue of giving the Nizhny Novgorod Academy of the Russian Interior Ministry the status of the basic organization responsible for the training of personnel for tax (financial) investigation on educational programs in higher education and additional professional programs.

The Council of Foreign Minister of the CIS Member Nations is the main executive body ensuring cooperation in the field of foreign policy activities of the CIS member states on the matters of mutual interest, adopting decisions during the period between the meetings of the Council of the CIS Heads of State, the Council of the CIS Heads of Government and by their orders.  The first session of the Council took place in August 1993.

Established on December 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization.  It now consists of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.  Georgia pulled out of the organization in 2009.