Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 24 May 2024, a regular meeting of the Council of Heads of governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States was held in Ashgabat.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov.

The heads of governments exchanged views on current issues of economic interaction in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The meeting participants discussed and approved the Concept of cooperation in the energy sector for the period until 2035 and the Plan of priority measures for its implementation. The documents are aimed at further deepening interaction between the CIS countries in the field of energy, covering simultaneously the economic, trade, scientific, technical, social, environmental and security issues of states, as well as creating conditions for the sustainable development of national economies.

An Action Plan for optimizing infrastructure and developing international transport corridors passing through the territories of the CIS member states for the period until 2030 was also submitted for consideration. The document will contribute to the expansion and deepening of cooperation between transport ministries and departments of the Commonwealth countries in the development of international transport corridors through the implementation of agreed measures to improve their functioning.

The heads of governments approved the updating of the Agreement on cooperation in the creation of compatible national telemedicine systems and their further development and use.

The Agreement itself was adopted in 2010. However, taking into account the current state and development trends of information systems in the field of healthcare, changes in the legislation of the CIS countries and international standards, it needed updating.

The changes introduced complement the set of measures aimed at the practical implementation of agreed approaches to regulating the implementation of modern information technologies and telemedicine systems in the healthcare sector, taking into account the existing approaches of the CIS member states, as well as the best practices developed in this area.

The Concept for the further development of cooperation in the field of the chemical industry and the Action Plan for its implementation were also adopted. Increasing the efficiency of interaction between the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States in this area will contribute to solving a set of pressing problems related to meeting domestic needs for chemical industry products, strengthening national security by providing the military-industrial complex and strategic industries with high-quality chemical products, and developing a system of scientific support for the chemical industry and the introduction of innovative technologies.

The heads of governments approved the Concept of cooperation in the field of hazardous waste management and the elimination of sites of accumulated environmental harm and the Plan of Priority Actions for 2024–2029 for its implementation. The documents have an environmental focus and are designed to analyze the accumulated experience in hazardous waste management, create mechanisms for the transfer of knowledge, practices, technologies and, as a result, contribute to the improvement of national infrastructures for hazardous waste management, and create conditions for the implementation of international projects. This will allow the interaction of the CIS member states to be transferred to a practical level.

Another document signed following the meeting is the List of measures in the field of combating violations in the field of intellectual property to support the stages of implementation of the CIS Economic Development Strategy for the period until 2030.

It defines measures to develop cooperation in the areas of copyright and related rights, strengthening administrative and criminal liability for the illegal use and distribution of intellectual property, organizing operational search, preventive and special operations carried out by customs, tax authorities, ministries of internal affairs and others authorized bodies.

The Council of Heads of governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States, in accordance with the Regulations on the CIS Executive Committee and at the proposal of the Republic of Kazakhstan, appointed Nurlan Seitimov as Deputy Secretary General of the CIS.

In addition, at the meeting it was decided to declare Ashgabat the City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth. The Council for Physical Culture and Sports was instructed to develop a corresponding draft Action Plan for 2024–2025.

The assignment of such an honorary status will make it possible to implement a number of large-scale and significant sports projects in Ashgabat, which will be an important contribution of Turkmenistan to the practical implementation of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Physical Culture and Sports of the CIS States, as well as to strengthening the traditionally established friendly ties between the peoples of the Commonwealth countries.

The next meeting of the Council of Heads of governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States was decided to be held on November 7–8, 2024 in the Russian Federation.