Cis Inter-parliamentary Assembly's Speaker Comments On Tenth Cis Anniversary

Despite separate local conflicts, post-Soviet countries have prevented any unpredictable developments. This constitutes the main result of the 10-year-long activity of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Federation Council Speaker Yegor Stroyev, who also heads the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, said here today. (The Federation Council is the Russian Parliament's upper house). The CIS, which comprises 12 former Soviet republics, will mark its 10th anniversary in December 2001. According to Stroyev, the establishment of the CIS and its preservation enabled its members to avoid the danger of remaining on the curb of international development. At the same time, Stroyev admitted that far from all CIS plans had been translated into life over the past decade. A common military-strategic infrastructure still remains to be created. Besides, CIS countries are having trouble jointly forging a common economic infrastructure, Stroyev went on to say. That's why we now have to jointly tackle specific issues concerning sustainable CIS development and that of each CIS country, in particular. Enhanced trade and economic cooperation, the creation of a full-fledged free-trade regime, as well as efforts to establish intra-CIS monetary and payments unions, are seen as our top priorities, Stroyev said in conclusion.