CIS Informal Meeting Held in Russia
According to a statement from the Kremlin, the meeting was held at the State Hermitage Museum, where the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, along with Armenia’s prime minister, toured an exhibition before formal discussions began.
Speaking to participants in the museum’s St George's Hall, Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored what he described as growing, wide-ranging cooperation across the bloc over the past year.
“This is evidenced by the substantial volume of trade between Russia and the Commonwealth, which amounted to almost $90 billion in the first 10 months of this year,” Putin said.
He pointed to the emergence of new manufacturing and transportation networks, alongside upgrades to major transcontinental logistics routes, as signs of deeper economic integration.
Putin also identified security cooperation as a central pillar of CIS engagement, citing joint efforts against terrorism and extremism, organized crime, drug trafficking, and corruption.
“It is certainly important that the Commonwealth members adhere to similar or converging approaches on key global and regional issues,” Putin added.
He said all CIS members “unanimously advocate for the formation of a just world order based on the universally recognized principles of international law, with the UN playing a central role.”
The CIS was formed in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, aiming to coordinate economic, political, and security policies among former Soviet republics. Its full members are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan participates as an associate member, while Moldova halted its participation in CIS meetings in 2022.
Earlier on Monday, Azerbaijan’s presidential administration told state news agency Azertac that President Ilham Aliyev would not attend the informal summit in St. Petersburg, citing a heavy work schedule.
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