CIS foreign ministers discuss plans of setting up group on border protection - Lavrov

BISHKEK, April 3. /TASS/. CIS foreign ministers have discussed a project of creating a joint group for ensuring security on borders of the Commonwealth that is due to be later presented to the leaders of the states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the meeting of CIS Foreign Ministers Council on Friday. "We held a very fruitful session of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council. We considered the issues of our cooperation in the foreign policy sphere including in view of the upcoming events devoted to the 70th anniversary of Victory in World War II that will also take place in the UN and the OSCE," the minister said. "There will be the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act of the OSCE. Major work is also expected on this issue," he said. "We considered draft decisions that will be proposed for approval of the CIS heads of states. They concern cooperation in the humanitarian sphere up to 2020, and improving the work on the advanced training for teachers. Two scientific and research institutions in Belarus were chosen as the basic institutions in the CIS," he said. The minister said at the meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the sides discussed "major areas of strengthening cooperation in the sphere of border security, including by establishing a joint group of the CIS countries with participation of border and other agencies for controlling the situation on the external borders of the Commonwealth." "A range of other documents have been prepared for the consideration of the heads of states. The meeting was useful, it allowed the communication in an open and trust-based format between the ministers. We are thankful to the partners for the excellent organization of the meeting," Lavrov said. Read more