Editor's note: Details added after 4th paragraph
Ukraine, Yalta, July 10 / Trend, special correspondent L.Skipina /
Informal meeting of Heads of CIS member states opened on Saturday night in southern Ukraine in the city of Yalta. The Forum is held at the famous Livadia Palace.
The forum is attended by Presidents of six of the 11 CIS countries - Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine.
The forum was organized on the initiative of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych met every president, at the entrance to the palace.
"I thank you for supporting my initiative to gather at the round table, which, as they say, has no sharp corners," - said the president of Ukraine.
According to him, the forum will discuss two main issues: the mechanisms of enhancing economic cooperation within the CIS and plans for implementation of transport and tourism infrastructure joint development projects.
"I hope that our debate will agree on priorities in economic cooperation", - said Yanukovych.
He said that economic cooperation is defined by CIS member states as the basic activities of the Commonwealth.
Yanukovych also expressed hope that President Medvedev of Russia will share with the participants of the forum the results of meetings of the G8 and G20 in which he participated.
Medvedev, who chairs the forum, said that the reason for the meeting is good. "I hope that during the informal summit, we will discuss the issues Victor Fyodorovich has told about," said the president of Russia.
He also said that although the meeting has relatively formal character, because all those present wear ties, it will be also informal.
"Hopefully [it will be] without ties, because it is anguish to sit wearing a tie," - said Medvedev, referring to hot weather in Yalta.
Moreover, Medvedev on behalf of all those present congratulated President of Ukraine on the 60 th anniversary, which he celebrated on July 9, and expressed hope that under his leadership Ukraine will develop as a stable, prosperous, powerful country that has reliable partners, like those gathered at the meeting in Yalta.
Tomorrow at the airfield in Simferopol aircraft will be screened for the forum participants.