Putin celebrated the anniversary informally: the order “Dustlik” and the tractor “Belarus” as a gift

The Kyrgyz president did not come to St. Petersburg because of the order

Vladimir Putin, who celebrates his 70th birthday on October 7, was congratulated by the leaders of Turkey, South Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Cuba (plus the former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev), and seven more leaders of the post-Soviet republics came with congratulations and gifts personally. The official reason for the meeting was an informal CIS summit, but it was held in a truncated format (only Vladimir Putin spoke). And most of the event participants spent at the festive table.

Although the meeting of the CIS leaders was held in St. Petersburg, the arrangement of the event was handled by sunny Tajikistan. Huge pyramids of melons and watermelons have grown next to the Konstantinovsky Palace, and colorful carpets of southern fruits have spread. The Kremlin made no secret of the fact that the unscheduled meeting was informal – after all, the usual CIS summit will take place no later than next week. Obviously, the main reason for the collection was the 70th anniversary of Vladimir Putin. Mountains of fruit are part of a gift from Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon, who has not yet finished celebrating his own birthday two days ago. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev awarded the hero of the day with the Order of Dustlik of the highest degree, which, apart from Putin, only Xi Jinping has. And Alexander Lukashenko shared what is dear to him. As a present, he brought a hand-assembled Belarus tractor with a universal seeder. Exactly the same on which he works. “We will sow bread, maybe something else. We will grow and sell to Europe. So that they don’t starve and that they don’t steal bread in Ukraine, ”the dad explained his plan.

Sadyr Zhaparov refrained from visiting St. Petersburg: as it turned out, the Kyrgyz president was outraged by the awarding of the Russian Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” of the third degree to Emomali Rakhmon with the wording “to ensure regional stability and security” (Recall that on September 14, the largest and bloody border conflict). And the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, although he came to the meeting, did not participate in a joint photo, so as not to excite compatriots by being close to the happy Ilham Aliyev. (However, both leaders, as you know, were at the talks in Prague the day before and even agreed to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each other. Moreover, without the mediation of Russia).

The hero of the day and his guests began to gather at the round table closer to dinner. Vladimir Putin let all the leaders into the hall ahead of himself, not succumbing to the attempts of Emomali Rahmon and Serdar Berdimuhamedov to show Eastern respect for the host. Despite the informal nature, the atmosphere in Strelna was working: all the presidents came in suits and ties, and serious topics were also discussed. Vladimir Putin suggested once again “checking the clock” on the documents to be signed next week in Astana. “We will pay priority attention to the further development of trade and investment partnerships within the CIS, we will think about how to intensify joint work to increase the stability of our economies and ensure technological sovereignty,” the GDP announced the agenda.

Despite the fact that after the announcement of the mobilization, the CIS countries faced a new reality for themselves, namely a large influx of migrants from Russia, Vladimir Putin focused on a more familiar situation. “Millions are working, working in Russia – without any exaggeration, we are talking about millions – citizens of the CIS who help Russia in the implementation of development plans, but also earn the necessary funds to support their families,” he said. Thus, dots were dotted over the “i”: there – thousands, and here – millions.

Another topical issue is ensuring security in the Commonwealth space. Vladimir Putin made it clear that what is happening between Russia and Ukraine must be taken on a par with the confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia and Kyrgyzstan with Tajikistan. “In addition to Ukraine, where truly tragic events are taking place, conflicts also arise between other close states. This, of course, requires the development of measures to resolve them,” he said.

Speeches by other leaders at the informal summit were not broadcast. And only Alyaksandr Lukashenka expressed a desire to talk to journalists. Answering the question of the host of the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin”, what way out of the international situation he sees, Lukashenka said that he “did not enter there”. And so “I’m not going to get out of there.” “We should not look for a way out!” he stressed. The Old Man refused to confirm the security of the western borders of the Union State, citing Poland’s intention to ask the United States for nuclear weapons. However, he urged journalists not to worry about the fate of the world. “You don’t know everything! – he said pointedly, – They (apparently, the collective West) have been looking for this way out for a long time.

After the end of the informal summit, which, together with lunch, lasted about three hours, Putin and Lukashenko, according to the press service of the latter, continued to communicate one on one. Two apparently related events were previously reported: Russia is providing Belarus with a $1.5 billion loan for import substitution programs, and the Belarusian Defense Ministry will mobilize 500,000 trained reservists if necessary.