DUSHANBE, June 18, Asia-Plus  -- A session of the council of CIS heads of statistical services opened in Moscow today.   

According to Tajikistan’s State Committee for Statistics, the meeting is considering issues related to interstate statistical cooperation, including analysis of economic development and integration processes within the CIS area. 

The meeting is also discussing preparation of analytical and informational materials on a general economic situation, dynamics and tendencies of economic cooperation between member nations of the CIS.  

The council of CIS heads of statistical services was established on February 6, 1992.  The Council consists of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS states and the Chairman of CIS Statistical Committee (Statcommittee).  According to the Statute of the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee, the work of the Committee is carried out under the guidance of the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS states, which is its superior body.

The council discusses the most important problems of the interstate statistical cooperation. Its exclusive competence area includes: definition of the forms of realization of main directions of activity of the CIS Statcommittee, work program and reports on the CIS Statcommittee''s activity.  All methodological problems are discussed at the sessions of scientific council of the CIS Statcommittee before they will be discussed by the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services.  Among them there are the problems of macroeconomic and financial statistics, industrial and socio-demographic statistics, statistics of domestic and external trade, international comparisons of the Commonwealth countries, harmonization of economic classifications and statistical forms and so forth. Use of commonly accepted statistical methodology makes a base for reconstruction of all system of statistics applicable to socio-economic transformations, which took place the Commonwealth countries.