Summit of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States proposes to consider CIS+ format

The summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held in Moscow. The centrepiece of the event was a meeting of the Council of Heads of CIS member states. It was attended by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. This is reported by the official website of the Russian President.

Opening the meeting, the Russian head of state said that relations with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States are one of the priorities of the Russian foreign policy. According to him, coordination of actions of the members of the association on international platforms plays an important role.

The President also voiced the main tasks facing the CIS. They include countering terrorism and organised crime. Trade and economic co-operation issues are no less important.

"I am pleased to note a marked improvement in the macroeconomic indicators of the CIS member states, as well as the growth of mutual trade and investment exchanges within the Commonwealth. Thus, the aggregate GDP of our countries increased by 4.7 per cent in the first half of the year," the head of state said.

The President noted the progress in creating an independent financial infrastructure in the CIS. The use of national currencies in trade between the members of the organisation has exceeded 85 pe rcent.

In addition, Vladimir Putin invited CIS leaders to participate in the BRICS summit to be held in Kazan on 22-24 October.

"BRICS is gaining momentum and becoming an attractive platform for so many countries. The summit will be attended by all new members and those who are interested in joining the joint work"

Vladimir Putin President of Russia

According to Putin, strengthening ties within the association is in the interests of the CIS countries.

In turn, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said it was necessary to develop and strengthen the potential of the Commonwealth states in various sectors, including technology, healthcare and culture.

"We need a strong union of strong, economically self-sufficient sovereign states. We regularly talk about equal conditions and respect for national interests. Much has already been done, but there is also something to strive for"

Aleksandr Lukashenko President of Belarus

The topic of strengthening the CIS role in the world arena was also touched upon by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In particular, he proposed to create an expanded format of interaction between the CIS members and other states.

"The authority of the CIS on the world stage is growing. Last year the CIS observer and partner statuses were established, which demonstrated the openness and maturity of our organisation. In continuation of this institutional work, I propose to consider the establishment of the CIS+ format"

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev President of Kazakhstan

The need to develop the association and expand ties between its members was supported by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

"We are interested in working together to ensure food and energy security, as well as gaining access to new advanced technologies and innovations"

Sadyr Japarov President of Kyrgyzstan

At the end of the summit, a number of documents were signed concerning the functioning of the association, as well as the development of economic and cultural ties between the participating countries.

The Commonwealth of Independent States was formed in December 1991. In 2024, Russia will chair the CIS. Next year, the baton will pass to Tajikistan.

Photo: kremlin.ru