CIS discuss mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates

The CIS member states are discussing the conditions of mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, BelTA learned from the press service of the CIS Executive Committee.

“The proposal to consider the issue of mutual recognition of vaccination certificates on Belarus' initiative was considered by healthcare ministers and chief state sanitary doctors at the meeting of the CIS Healthcare Cooperation Council in October 2021. The council set up a working group to look into the issue and make proposals. The first meeting of the working group was held at the CIS headquarters in Minsk on 13 January,” the press service said.

Taking part in the video conference were representatives of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, the Eurasian Economic Commission, and the CIS Executive Committee. The participants noted that the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus infection put the issue of joint fight against COVID-19 in the first place in the integration cooperation of the CIS countries. An active vaccination campaign against COVID-19 began worldwide in 2021. The CIS states have implemented plans for staged vaccination of the population in order to form collective immunity.

Members of the working group exchanged experiences on the organization of vaccination against COVID-19, the registration of vaccinated citizens, the recognition of vaccination certificates, and emphasized the need to promptly decide on the recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates across the CIS.

Russia informed the participants of the meeting about the work being done to prepare proposals for the recognition of these documents on a bilateral basis. In this regard, the participants of the meeting decided to specify the proposals on the conditions and procedure of recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates (documents) in the CIS member states and submit them to the CIS Executive Committee, as well as to submit national samples of COVID certificates. These proposals will be discussed at the next meeting of the working group in February.

The meeting of the working group was the first event of the CIS Healthcare Cooperation Council held under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan.