Tatarstan President takes part in meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government

On May 26, at the Kazan City Hall, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov took part in a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government chaired by Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

“I kindly welcome everyone at this year's first meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government. Welcome to Kazan, a city that is famous for its hospitality. I hope that those present have already had time to feel this," Medvedev said in his opening speech.

Medvedev noted that this year, the CIS presidency passed to Russia, with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan serving as co-presidents.

Medvedev outlined the consistent development and improvement of the Commonwealth among the main directions of work, taking into account the latest developments in the global economy and world politics, and in former Soviet nations. "The challenges and threats facing our countries put front and centre the issues of modernizing CIS integration bodies, starting with those that are industry-related, as well as closer coordination of our nations’ positions on international issues, especially if they deal with common threats such as terrorism, international crime, illegal migration and drug trafficking," he stressed.

Another important aspect of work is further strengthening of the economic foundations of the Commonwealth, Head of the Russian Government noted.

Medvedev called deepening ties in the spheres of education, culture, information, tourism, and sports another main task of the presidency.

"Several nations of the Commonwealth fielded teams for the Russian national professional skills competition, WorldSkills Russia. The event was a good training ground for the global WorldSkills event that will take place here, in Kazan, in 2019," he said. 

More information about the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government is available on the official website of the Government of the Russian Federation.