Belarus may preside over CIS as from 1 January 2013

MINSK, 16 July (BelTA) – Starting 1 January 2013 Belarus may take over the presidency in the Commonwealth of Independent States, said Sergei Lebedev, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Executive Secretary, on 16 July after meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Sergei Lebedev said the CIS Executive Committee had sent letters to the member states suggesting Belarus should take over the CIS presidency next year as part of the rotation. “We are now expecting an answer but preliminary sounding indicates that the tentative response of the countries is positive,” he said. “We expect Belarus to preside over the CIS as from 1 January 2013,” added Sergei Lebedev.