BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

23/05/2008

CIS must contribute to multi-polar world order - Lukashenko

MINSK, May 23 (Itar-Tass) - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that the Commonwealth of Independent States should contribute to the efforts towards securing the establishment of a multi-polar world order.

"Regrettably, negative trends in the world and the territory of our alliance indicate that we had to have met each other halfway yesterday," Lukashenko said at a meeting with the heads of the delegations which arrived in the Belarussian capital for a meeting of the Council of CIS Prime Ministers.

Belarus' position remains stable and predictable, aimed at mutually advantageous cooperation and better welfare of CIS peoples, he added.

The president expressed the hope that the Friday meeting of the council of CIS premiers would contribute to a qualitative improvement of varied interaction.

"Such meetings in Minsk have always been noted for their effectiveness," he said.

The Belarussian leader called for making the Commonwealth of Independent States one of the world zones of powerful economic growth. "It's a real necessity, on which the future of our sovereign peoples is based," he said.

Trade and economic cooperation is the backbone of CIS economic cooperation. He noted that time had long been ripe for stepping up joint work in the transport and transit fields.

"It is necessity to broadly launch joint transport-logistics systems in the nearest future. The work on the project to create the Western China - Russia- Europe transit corridor remains topical," he went on to say.

The boosting of the transportation of fuels is an important element of mutually advantageous use of the transit potential. It would be quite reasonable to arrange joint work to produce, process and supply to external markets gas, oil and electricity.

"We're ready to discuss all projects which will not cause a rift between neighbors, but strengthen the common energy security," Lukashenko said.

To consider such issues on a multi-lateral basis, optimal conditions must be created next year, which will be devoted to power generation.

The completion of the formation of the full-fledged free trade zone in the CIS is a key element of economic cooperation, the Belarussian president said.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12709984&PageNum=0

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