“Mean mood”: apart from Putin, only Tokayev spoke publicly at the CIS summit

The heads of 9 of the 15 former republics of the USSR arrived in St. Petersburg

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the formation of the USSR, the heads of 9 of the 15 former Soviet republics gathered in St. Petersburg. Vladimir Putin stated that cooperation within the framework of the CIS meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of the post-Soviet countries. And although disagreements between them “unfortunately” arise, the “friendly circle” of the presidents is determined to develop a strategic partnership.

The tradition of New Year’s Eve meetings in St. Petersburg has developed in pre-pandemic times. But this year the arrival of neighbors was especially important. Firstly, it is a signal that the NWO could not quarrel Russia with friendly countries. Although many said they did not support the fighting in Ukraine and would comply with anti-Russian sanctions, this did not lead to the severing of traditional ties. Moreover, all states in the region increased trade with Russia: with Kazakhstan it grew by 10%, with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan – by 40%, with Tajikistan – by 22%, with Turkmenistan – by 45% in the first quarter (no later data available) , with Azerbaijan – by 23%, and with Armenia – by as much as 85%.

The second conclusion is that Vladimir Putin’s influence and authority among the leaders of the CIS is still high. Nikol Pashinyan just the other day sharply criticized Russia for not fulfilling its obligations under the trilateral agreement. However, he was the first to rush to the Presidential Library, where the presidents traditionally gathered, and exchanged with VVP for cameras, perhaps not too cordial, but quite a friendly hug. However, the eyes of none of the leaders who arrived in St. Petersburg did not burn. And Alexander Lukashenko honestly admitted to journalists that “his mood is average.”

The format of the New Year’s summit never provided for long speeches, let alone arguments. Although sometimes Vladimir Putin used this meeting to focus on issues that are important to him. For example, in 2019, guests listened to a long speech by VVP about the prehistory of World War II and, in particular, the Munich conspiracy – this was a time when the president was keenly interested in this topic and even wrote a long article. And last December, the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova spoke to the leaders with a story about the fight against coronavirus and new biological threats. It seemed that the turbulent 2022 also required dotting the “i”, but Vladimir Putin, apparently, decided that everything important about the NVO had already been said in other formats, and about the conflict in Ukraine and about Ukraine in general (which once was also part of the CIS) did not even mention.

Summing up the results of the year, Vladimir Putin said that “the multifaceted interaction of states developed successfully on the whole.” “Across the Commonwealth, coordinated measures were taken aimed at import substitution, ensuring technological sovereignty, building up joint production and scientific potential,” he praised. Domestic markets for services and capital, according to the president, have been developing dynamically. And regional integration was only getting stronger.

Putin also acknowledged the existence of disagreements between the member countries of the Commonwealth. But without details and with the proviso that they do not affect the desire for cooperation. “Even if any problematic issues arise, we strive to solve them ourselves, together, jointly, providing each other with comradely assistance and mediating assistance,” he said. Putin made it clear that, in his opinion, there is no alternative to the CIS: interaction in this format “meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of our countries”, helps to develop economies and ensure stability and security in the region.

Recall that this year the “sparked” between the countries of the Commonwealth repeatedly. And the most difficult Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict due to the blocking of the Lachin corridor is again in the stage of aggravation, and the chances of agreeing on some kind of breakthrough, apparently, are low. (Otherwise, Putin would not have refused to hold a trilateral meeting with Aliyev and Pashinyan in St. Petersburg.)

In addition to the Russian leader, only the head of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who chaired the association in 2022, wanted to speak publicly at the summit. He said that the CIS needs to strengthen its positions in the international arena: it is planned that other states will soon have the opportunity to obtain the status of an observer or partner of the Commonwealth. 2023 in the post-Soviet space has been declared the Year of the Russian Language. “The role of the Russian language cannot be in any doubt,” said Tokayev, who has previously been repeatedly accused of de-Russification of Kazakhstan.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 28941 dated December 27, 2022

Newspaper headline:
The heirs of the USSR: 9 out of 15