Russia expects CIS to be more efficient organization
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-26 13:34

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov told the press on Friday that the reform of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) must be carried out, and the CIS will become a more efficient organization.

There were some statements detrimental to the fate of the CIS at present, and it is true that the organization is not efficient enough either. However, all the CIS member states have agreed to further improve and reform the structures of the organization as soon as possible, Fradkov said after the summit of the Council of the Head of State of the CIS.

Some relevant agreements were reached at the summit of the council in August 2005 to improve and reform the structures of the CIS, which have greatly promoted the reform process. The final outcome, nevertheless, will still depend on the attitude of the member states towards the implementation of the agreements, he added.

The CIS members are currently cooperating in large-scale energy projects. The heads of state present at the summit unanimously agreed to establish a uniform energy market within the framework of the CIS, so as to accelerate the development of the energy industry in the member states, Fradkov said.

Besides, the leaders also formulated a series of measures at the summit to improve the economic cooperation efficiency among the CIS states, as well as to sharpen their competitive edge in the overseas markets.

The CIS was created on December 21, 1991, after the collapse of the former Soviet Union to foster closer ties among the newly independent countries, namely, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Georgia joined the CIS in October 1993.