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Russia: Yeltsin To Meet CIS Leader Tomorrow


Moscow, 25 March 1997 (RFE/RL) -- Interfax news agency says that Russian president Boris Yeltsin will meet tomorrow in the Kremlin with the secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Ivan Korotchenya. According to the agency, the meeting will focus on the preparation of the CIS Summit, due to take place on Friday in Moscow.

Heads of CIS members states are expected to discuss the development of economic integration between their countries, as well as other integration projects for the current year.

Interfax says the Summit's agenda also includes discussion of the conflict between Georgia and its separatist region of Abkhazia and the presence of Russian-led CIS peace-keeping forces in Tajikistan.

The agency says CIS heads of state are expected to hold initial talks behind closed doors on Friday morning, before being joined by other members of their delegations.

Interfax also said that separate meetings of CIS foreign ministers, defense ministers and heads of government will take place ahead of the Summit. CIS prime Ministers are expected to meet on Thursday, to examine the draft project of economic integration, as well as a number of other economic agreements.

Interfax also reports that Armenian President Levon-Ter-Petrosyan and Azerbaijan's president Heydar Aliyev will hold talks in the frame of the CIS Summit. The agency, quoting Ter-Petrosyan's press-service, said the two presidents will discuss the situation in the region.

Interfax quoted unnamed observers in YErevan as saying that the two presidents will focus on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. They will also discuss the recent appointment of Karabakh leader Robert Kocharyan to the post of Armenia's Prime Minister.
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