YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has participated at the CIS Council sitting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan took part in the session, the PM’s office said.

The results of cooperation of 2018 and the main direction for future development of partnership within the organization were summed up. The preparation works for a joint celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory in 2020 was highlighted. Several bilateral cooperation documents were signed. The CIS chairmanship was passed on to Turkmenistan.

The Council adopted a statement on the 70th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights protection, approved the CIS Cultural Capital to be held in Tajikistan in 2021, and to declare 2021 the year of architecture and urban development in the CIS.

The 2019-2023 joint intergovernmental program of combating crime was approved and an IT field anti-crime agreement was signed between the CIS states. Amendments were made in the charter of defense ministerial council of the CIS states and the charter of the CIS anti-terrorist center. A number of multilateral cooperation documents in the humanitarian, law enforcement and military fields were signed.

The next CIS summit will take place October 11, 2019 in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan.

At the narrow-format session the Armenian Prime Minister attached importance to raising effectiveness of cooperation within the CIS and deepening of ties. According to Pashinyan steps should be taken to realize the potential of the CIS for developing regional cooperation. “It will contribute to increasing competitiveness of national economic and the welfare of citizens, development of humanitarian ties and strengthening of human relations,” he said.

Speaking about the 75th anniversary of Victory in 2020, the PM noted that May 9th will forever remain a symbol of unbending courage and unity of peoples, who fought together at the front and selflessly struggled for the common victory, bringing decisive contribution in liberating the world from Nazism.

“The Armenian nation has unique attitude in shaping the Victory. Half of the Armenians who were conscripted to the army did not return home from this terrible war. More than 70,000 Armenian servicemen were awarded military certificates and medals, and more than 100 of them were awarded the title of USSR Hero. This holiday, as well as the memory of the fallen, call upon us all to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory deservedly, jointly counter the attempts of re-writing history and glorification of Nazism and neo-Nazism propaganda,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan also emphasized the importance of adopting the statement on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Cooperation in the economic, innovative, cultural-humanitarian fields is developing in the CIS. In this context I would like to inform that the Global IT Forum will take place in Yerevan in 2019, which will become an important arena for developing practical and scientific ties between representatives of various countries of the world. We expect our CIS partner countries to have active participation in this important event,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan