Meeting of CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly opens today

Today, a scheduled meeting of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (IPA) starts its work in the second largest city of Russia, St. Petersburg. The participants will discuss, in particular, the ratification of the Convention on the standards of democratic elections, electoral rights and freedoms in the CIS countries.

Seven CIS countries have signed this Convention, developed by the IPA. In the near future, Azerbaijan is expected to join the convention. Three countries - Russia, Kyrghyztan and Tajikistan - have already ratified the document.

Participants in the meeting will also discuss more than ten model laws for the CIS countries. Among those are the laws On legal foundations of the anti-corruption policy and On the participation of CIS countries in peacekeeping operations.