Wednesday, May 13 2020 10:19

ArmInfo. Armenian society is gradually adapting to life under the conditions of the coronavirus, and our government, with the goal of minimizing the negative impact,  is currently implementing 17 state support programs worth about half  a billion US dollars. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan  stated this on May 12 during his speech at the CIS Ministerial  Council.

"I am sincerely grateful to you for your initiative to hold the  scheduled meeting - the first, in fact, event of the CIS statutory  body, distinguished by its focus and richness and planned as part of  the chairmanship of the Uzbek side in the Commonwealth,.

Naturally, the pandemic makes adjustments, both of at and the  national levels, also in the context of the CIS activities and the  functioning of its bodies, "Mnatsakanyan noted, adding that in  Armenia today 3538 cases of infection with a new type of coronavirus  infection have been registered, of which 1,430 people have already  recovered and, unfortunately, 47 have died.

He also recalled that a state of emergency has been established in  Armenia since March 16, which has been somewhat eased since May 4:  almost all types of economic activity are allowed, provided that  employers provide appropriate working conditions in order to prevent  the spread of coronavirus.

During his speech, the Armenian minister also congratulated those  gathered on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the joint Victory  in the Great Patriotic War - the most bloody war in the history of  mankind.

"May 9th is a sacred date for our peoples, who suffered the greatest  losses and made a decisive contribution to the defeat of fascism.

A significant contribution to the Victory over fascism was made by  the anti-Hitler coalition.

The memory of the dead, the memory of the true causes that created  the threat of Nazi rule, calls today to jointly resist attempts to  glorify Nazism and fascism, spread the ideology of militant  nationalism and xenophobia, "Mnatsakanyan said.

Touching upon the agenda of the meeting, the Armenian minister said  that Armenia has no objections to the agreed issues, and supports  them.

"At the same time, I would like to say a few words separately. The  list of proposed issues, conditionally, can be divided into two  groups. The first group includes issues, the progress on which is  less affected by the dynamics of spread of coronavirus. Among them,  in our opinion, there is a very interesting project "Cultural  Capital", the right to implement which in 2022 will be transferred to  the Kyrgyz city of Karakol.  In this series I will also list draft  agreements regulating the interaction of defense departments in the  format of interested states in such areas as humanitarian demining, a  joint (integrated) communication system, updating the list of units  proposed, including by the Armenian side, of units for inclusion in  the composition grouping of border and other departments of the CIS  member states sent to resolve (eliminate) crisis situations at  external borders, "the minister said, expressing belief that it is an  important area of interstate cooperation and important documents.

Mnatsakanyan continued, that an analysis of the volume of documents  adopted over the past two decades within the CIS in these areas,  demonstrates that they are signed by countries that a not only within  the Commonwealth, but also in more advanced formats for six and five  countries confirmed their readiness for a more advanced format in  cooperation in these areas.

"Moreover, the work within the framework of these integration  associations has advanced far ahead, and it may make sense to think  about the need to concentrate efforts within this framework.

As for the second group of issues on our agenda, these include  issues, during the implementation of which, we will have to take into  account the pandemic factor. These are cooperation strategies in the  field of international youth cooperation, physical education and  sports, tourism, a network university, and the main events of  cooperation in the field of culture.

In principle, these documents were developed in line with ensuring  continuity with similar ones previously adopted and do not take into  account the fact that in the near future it will be necessary to  practice more remote methods of interaction. This factor, I believe,  will be reflected and will be taken into account by the relevant  bodies of sectoral cooperation of the CIS in the development of  medium-term plans for the implementation of measures.

In this difficult period, concerted actions by states, including with  a view to coordinating approaches to counteract the spread of the  coronavirus pandemic, are most in demand. In the format of the  Commonwealth, on the basis of a legal framework developed over the  years, it will be necessary to focus not just on the economy, but on  its innovative component, taking into account new realities, promote  cultural and humanitarian cooperation, interaction in the field of  youth policy, tourism, science, etc. ", - Mnatsakanyan summed up.