Minsk to host CIS intergovernmental timber industry and forestry council meeting

Minsk is set to host a meeting of the 22nd CIS Intergovernmental Timber Industry and Forestry Council on 29 November, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Forestry Ministry.

The meeting, which will be held in the Belarusian capital, will be attended by forestry ministers (deputy ministers) from six countries: representatives of Belarus, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan in person; and representatives of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan via video conference.

The agenda of the meeting will include a wide range of issues. Among them are prevention and extinguishing of wildfires in the border areas, measures to combat illegal timber trafficking, inventory of the legal framework in forestry and timber industry.

According to the forestry ministry, the CIS Intergovernmental Council on Timber Industry and Forestry was established in 1998 to develop cooperation in the timber industry and forestry of the CIS countries. In 2023, Belarus holds the right to host the forum. First Deputy Forestry Minister of Belarus Aleksandr Dragun was has been approved as chairman of the Intergovernmental Council.

The members of the intergovernmental council will work in Belarus for three days: from 28 to 30 November. The colleagues from the CIS countries will also get familiar with the organizations of the Belarusian Forestry Ministry. The program will also feature visits to cultural and historical sites of the country.

According to the ministry, Belarus last hosted the CIS Intergovernmental Timber Industry and Forestry Council meeting in 2017.