On February 16, Minsk hosted inter-MFA consultations on cooperation within the CIS in 2022. The consultations were attended by representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Commonwealth Executive Committee.

The meeting participants discussed the prospects for expanding foreign policy, economic and humanitarian cooperation, cooperation in the areas of security and countering new challenges and threats. Representatives of the foreign ministries noted the effectiveness of the chairmanship of the Republic of Belarus in the CIS in 2021 and expressed their readiness to provide all possible assistance in achieving the goals of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the CIS this year.

The meeting confirmed the general mood for the consistent development of multifaceted cooperation in the CIS format. Noting the existence of challenges and threats affecting the security situation in the Commonwealth space, in particular, the situation in Afghanistan, the parties agreed to continue consultations through the foreign ministries on security issues

The participants of the consultations stressed the importance of the work of the CIS Observer Mission in the presidential, parliamentary elections and referendums in the CIS member states. Representatives of the foreign ministries also discussed issues related to the completion of work on the signing of the draft Agreement on Free Trade in Services, the launch of the activities of the CIS Commission on Human Rights and the formation of a mechanism for regular meetings of the Commissioners for Children's Rights of the CIS member states.

In addition, the meeting summed up the results of the implementation in 2021 of the Plan of multilevel inter-MFA consultations and the Program of Action to intensify partnership between the foreign ministries, and considered a number of other issues.