Azernews.Az

The foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and Belarus have discussed prospects of bilateral cooperation, reports quoted the Belarusian Foreign Ministry as saying on October 25.

According to the ministry's press service, Abdulaziz Kamilov and Vladimir Makei discussed intensification of political dialogue, providing mutual support in the international arena, and expansion of trade and economic cooperation with the reinstatement of the joint intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation.

The foreign ministers met during the visit to Minsk of an Uzbek delegation that had arrived to attend a CIS Foreign Ministers Council meeting.

At their meeting on October 24, the foreign ministers discussed 14 issues relating to various aspects of interaction within the CIS and adopted 17 documents.

In particular, they approved draft programs on cooperation in the fight against terrorism and other violent forms of extremism in 2014-2016, trafficking in drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors and combating drug abuse and human trafficking in 2014-2018, as well as a program on joint measures to combat crime in 2014-2018. The sides also reviewed and endorsed a draft agreement on the establishment of Interstate Council to fight corruption.

The delegation heads discussed the implementation in 2014 of the interstate program 'Cultural Capitals of the Commonwealth' in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, approved the development strategy program on cooperation of the CIS countries in the tourism sector for the period until 2020 and an action plan for 2014-2015 to implement the strategy of international youth cooperation till 2020.

During the meeting, a draft decision to declare 2015 as the Year of Veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in the CIS and an action plan for the preparation and celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the war were approved.

The documents approved at the meeting will be presented at the summit of the CIS heads of state to be held October 25.