Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has not exhausted its potential. It is a platform for cooperation, collaboration, and discussion of topical issues of regional and international life.

This remark was made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who addressed a meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the CIS in Minsk on October 10.

"As colleagues, who have for years communicated and settled important issues, we naturally need to discuss all issues of our concern in such an open and sincere atmosphere," President Aliyev said.

He went on to add that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to its participation in the CIS.

"We believe that our organization has great achievement in interaction, coordination, and better understanding of each other's problems, as well as regarding the settlement of other important issues," the president said.

"We are also very actively cooperating with the majority of the CIS member states on a bilateral basis," President Aliyev said. "I believe the bilateral ties strengthen the relations within our organization, and we will further strive to boost the potential of bilateral cooperation."

President Aliyev also said there are good developments in the economy, and in the investment sector in the CIS.

Further on, President Aliyev said today, the attention is being paid to the issues that cause concern, like regional and international security.

"We are concerned of what is happening not so far from our borders," the president said. "The situation in the Middle East, and on the European side, of course, requires adequate evaluation, and each country must, with its actions, strive to make sure that it is contributing to confidence-building measures, security and cooperation."

"We in Azerbaijan see our role in regional and international affairs this way, and we believe that the policy, pursued by our country, is aimed at reducing the risks, and stabilizing the situation," President Aliyev said.

The Azerbaijani president went on saying that political will and economic potential play important roles in this regard.

"The initiatives that Azerbaijan promotes in the CIS, as well as within regional and bilateral cooperation, serve to reinforcing security, predictability and cooperation. We are actively observing this cooperation in the transport sector as well," the president said.

"We recently discussed the cooperation between the Caspian littoral states in the transport sector during the Caspian states' summit. I think there are very good opportunities in the CIS and some of them have already been realized," President Aliyev added.

"The investments in the transport infrastructure link our countries in the long term and create additional opportunities for cooperating, as well as making additional profits," the president said.

He also noted Azerbaijan, as an energy producing country, is naturally interested in cooperating with its partners in this sector.

"I believe that the initiatives and projects initiated by Azerbaijan, serve to boosting the region's energy security, and there are good opportunities in this area for investment projects, for greater coordination of efforts in this direction, as the energy security issues are directly related to the issues of national security of each country," President Aliyev said.

"Of course, the countries with sufficient energy resources have more responsibility in ensuring the energy security of its partners and neighbors," the president underscored.

The president said that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the cultural cooperation, which is the basis of the CIS.

"Baku has recently hosted the traditional fourth International Humanitarian Forum," the president said. "The representatives of our countries, as well as those from over 60 other countries attended it. The humanitarian cooperation, the issues related to interreligious dialogue, and a dialogue of civilizations, related to the multiculturalism, are of great importance. I think that the positive experience of our countries testifies to the fact that the multi-cultural society is the only way for the development. The absolute majority of countries are multi-confessional countries and the multi-national countries. The mono-ethnic countries are an exception to the practice."

The president went on to say that humanitarian cooperation and mutual understanding among people of different faiths and ethnic groups are important for each country, for each country's national consent, as well as for the cooperation of the CIS countries.

"The reason is that the countries with different histories, cultures, religions are represented as part of our organization. We are united by common interests and cooperation," said Aliyev.

The president said the positive experience of the CIS as an organization may also be useful for solving the problems associated with intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue.

"In other words, I would like to say that we will continue participating actively in the CIS activity," the president said.

Addressing the event, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spoke about the conflict in Ukraine, noting that Ukraine has not only become a local source of tension, but the situation in this country affects all post-Soviet countries.
The president said the developments in Ukraine undermine all integration foundations among the post-Soviet countries.

"Conflicting parties should implement the Minsk agreements in order to achieve peace in the south-east of Ukraine," Lukashenko said. "The conflicting parties should agree on the burning issues by themselves, instead of looking for solutions in Berlin or in Milan."
In his remarks Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the new development concept of CIS may be worked out with participation of heads of CIS countries.

He noted the document is expected to be worked out by 2016, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the CIS.

Nazarbayev went on to add that it was agreed to hand over the CIS presidency to Kazakhstan in 2015, and the country will continue its work in the field of development of the trade and economic relations, as well as the free trade zone.

"Our further cooperation covers the transit and transport sphere, agro-industrial complex and the food security sphere," Nazarbayev said, adding that during its presidency in CIS, Kazakhstan will focus on these spheres, as well as the issues of security in the sphere of humanitarian cooperation.

Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan has scheduled the next meeting of the heads of CIS states for the fourth quarter of 2015 and the exact date will be agreed with the foreign ministries of the CIS countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also attended the meeting, invited the heads of the CIS countries to Moscow to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

"Our common duty is to celebrate this momentous anniversary together," Putin said.