Putin hosts informal meeting with “CIS” leaders
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, during an informal meeting in Saint Petersburg.
Post-Soviet republics face an increasing number of external threats to their security, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated.
The Russian president noted that the “friendly circle” is a testament to CIS members’ readiness to cooperate “in the spirit of true strategic partnership, mutual benefit and respect for the interests of all countries.”
Putin highlighted the role the CIS is playing in supporting regional security and stability. “Unfortunately, challenges and threats in this area, coming primarily from outside, are growing every year,” he said.
Against this backdrop, he added that CIS intelligence agencies and other security institutions have been engaged in “close contacts.”
Putin did admit that CIS members sometimes find themselves at loggerheads. “The main thing, however, is that we are ready and willing to cooperate.
Formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and incorporating some of its former republics, the CIS promotes cooperation in economic, political, and military affairs.
Apart from Putin, the summit was attended by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
