Shaping principles of trade relations to be centerpiece of CIS summit in Chisinau

Shaping principles of economic cooperation, first of all, a free trade zone, will be the centerpiece of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit due on October 6-7 in Chisinau, said first deputy chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Vladimir Fyodorov at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

The summit will consider 22 issues, he said. First they will be discussed at the session of the Council of the CIS foreign ministers on October 6th, and then at sessions of the Councils of heads of parliaments and states on October 7th.

The most topical issue of the summit is shaping trade relations, Fyodorov believes. All states, except Russia and Georgia, have already ratified the agreement on the creation of a free trade zone that regulates unhindered transportation of goods within the CIS, he pointed out.

The summit will also touch upon the CIS budget, as well as military, technical, information, social and humanitarian cooperation, according to Fyodorov.

A number of issues are devoted to organizing joint fight with crime and terrorism.

Over the past 2-3 years the CIS summits have been arranged even more often that envisaged by the charter, he emphasized. "The heads of states alone have met 3 or 4 times, which testified to the strengthened cooperation between the CIS member states," Fyodorov believes.