Prime ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have supported Uzbekistan's aspiration to join the CIS Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Treaty, CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said.

"The heads of the delegations discussed in the narrow format the issue of Uzbekistan's involvement in the FTZ agreement. A decision was made to support Uzbekistan's aspiration to join the agreement as a result of a detailed discussion," Lebedev said at an open part of a meeting of CIS Prime Ministers in Yalta.

A decision was made to complete the work on Uzbekistan's joining the agreement by the end of the year, he said.

As of today, eight countries signed the CIS FTZ agreement. Uzbekistan will become the ninth party in the FTZ Treaty.

As reported, on September 26, 2012 Moldova ratified the document and became its fifth party, following Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Armenia.

Lebedev also said that during the discussion, the heads of the delegations approved a draft statement of prime ministers regarding the coming into effect of the FTZ Treaty. The draft statement was drawn up by Ukraine. The heads of the delegations decided to sign the document.

He added that Belarus proposed to hold the next meeting of the CIS prime ministers on May 31, 2013 in Minsk and the participants of the meeting supported the initiative.