Translated with AI
The latest meeting of the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held on November 26 in Minsk. Representatives from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the CIS Executive Committee participated, according to the CIS Executive Committee's press service.
Invited to the meeting were delegations from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, the Bureau for the Coordination of the Fight against Organized Crime, the Secretariat of the Coordination Council of Prosecutors General, the Council of Commanders of the Border Troops, the Coordination Council of Heads of Tax and Financial Investigation Agencies, the Council of Heads of Migration Authorities, the International Training and Methodological Center for Financial Monitoring, the EAG and CSTO Secretariats, as well as representatives from Iran, China, the United Arab Emirates, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Cuba, and Serbia.
Opening the meeting, CIS Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Seitimov emphasized that combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a key area of security for the Commonwealth. He noted that the financial intelligence units of CIS countries successfully handle this daily, routine work, promptly responding to modern threats.
Seitimov recalled that the Concept of Cooperation in Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, developed by the Council, serves as a benchmark for improving the effectiveness of joint activities. In 2021, a new agreement in this area was signed and entered into force based on the Concept. Furthermore, the International Centre for Assessing the Risks of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing was established.
On October 10, 2025, the heads of state of the CIS adopted a Statement on cooperation in combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
During the meeting, Council members discussed identified risks and threats in the CIS region, issues of cooperation with international organizations, and the experience of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Topics included combating financial pyramids, the use of cryptocurrencies for illegal purposes, and identifying professional money launderers.
The results of the work of the Working Group on the Information Exchange System between Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS countries and the project group of the International Risk Assessment Center were also summarized. The meeting outlined work plans for the coming year.
The CIS Deputy Secretary-General awarded Certificates of the CIS Executive Committee to Zhanat Elimanov, Chairman of the Kazakhstan Agency for Financial Monitoring, and Dmitry Zakharov, Director of the Financial Monitoring Department of the State Control Committee of Belarus, for their active work and significant contribution to strengthening cooperation in combating financial crime. The CIS Secretary-General's commendations were also presented to Svetlana Poddubskaya, Head of the Coordination and International Cooperation Department of the Financial Monitoring Department of the State Control Committee of Belarus, and Yuri Kardymon, Deputy Head of the Department of Financial Investigations of the State Control Committee of Belarus.
The next meeting of the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS Member States is scheduled for 2026 in Turkmenistan.
