Issues on Georgia’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will be discussed at the CIS Executive Committee expert on July 16-17 sitting in Minsk Head Office.

The officials will discuss intergovernmental agreements that Tbilisi is eligible to participate in after withdrawal from CIS. Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the CIS charter and other bodies Evgeny Belov will be negotiator from Russia, Vremya Novostey reports. Official withdrawal of Georgia from CIS, numbering presently 12 member states, will take place on August 18, 2009 – resuming the year of tension in Georgian-Russian relations after the 2008 conflict – when Georgia declared its membership call off.

Afterwards, many CIS countries suggested Tbilisi to stay in commonwealth. Yesterday, Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs and CIS Relations Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, member of the Belarusian parliament delegation in the EurAsEC Parliamentary Assembly Igor Karpenko called Georgia’s decision a “rash action”.

“However, we have received no notes or statements for retention of their membership,” CIS Executive Committee Spokeswoman Maria Gutsalo told VN. She said under CIS regulations — a year is assigned for the state withdrawal to put all in order since the official request . “Next day after the Georgian Foreign Ministry sent a withdrawal note, they informed of the decision to reserve a right to participate in the agreements signed during Georgia’s membership,” Gutsalo said.

Georgia participates in 112 international conventions signed within the framework of CIS membership, 76 of which are open for its participation. However the other 36 are only for CIS members, but Georgia wants to participate in one of them – namely in agreement on determination of regulations for good’s origin country. The final decision is yet to make.

However, it unlikely that Georgia participates in the document — as it will be edited soon and Georgia being out of CIS will not be able to sign it.