Digital copies of model laws of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly to be available in the Presidential Library

On February 7, 2023 the Cooperation Agreement between the Secretariat of the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly of States Members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Presidential Library of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation was signed on February 7, 2023.

The document was signed by Dmitry Kobitsky, Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council as well as Yuri Nosov, Director General of the Presidential Library.

The agreement provides for the interaction of organizations in the scientific, cultural, educational, expert and legal areas, the implementation of international projects and joint activities to preserve the cultural heritage of the Commonwealth countries.

The Assembly will transfer digital copies of its model laws and other documents to the library collections in order to ensure their perpetual storage and access to a wide range of readers.

Dmitry Kobitsky, Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council, expressed confidence that the signing of the agreement would be the beginning of fruitful cooperation between organizations in the scientific support of integration processes in the Commonwealth.

According to the Secretary General, the Assembly is counting on cooperation with the Presidential Library in the field of research on topical issues of model lawmaking - the main activity of the IPA CIS, the development and expert support of documents adopted by the international organization.

Director General of the Presidential Library Yuri Nosov stressed that the agreement involves holding joint scientific and practical conferences, symposiums, workshops, as well as organizing expert and analytical activities for the implementation of scientific and cultural programs.

According to Sergey Grinevich, Head of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation, the interaction of organizations will contribute to the development of interparliamentary relations of the CIS states, strengthen cooperation between the Commonwealth countries, and contribute to the formation of a common educational, cultural and scientific space.

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To date, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly has adopted 650 model laws and other documents that are advisory in nature and serve as a guideline in the development and convergence of the legislation of the Commonwealth countries. Among them is the Model Library Code for the CIS countries, aimed at the development of libraries, interstate cooperation and ethno-cultural interaction. In 2021, the IPA CIS adopted Recommendations on establishing common approaches to the issue of providing a legal copy of a printed publication in electronic form in the CIS member states. The document contributes to the creation of a single information space and the formation of national electronic libraries, provides new opportunities for exchange between libraries and states.

The Presidential Library provides access to digital copies of more than a million books, archival documents, audio and video recordings, photographs and other materials on the history, theory and practice of Russian statehood, and the Russian language. The portal features digital collections dedicated to all states of the Commonwealth.

In 2022 a protocol of intent was signed to create the Association of Presidential Libraries. The decision was supported by the presidential libraries of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. Such an organization is being created for the first time and will have an international status.