Putin discussed with members of the Security Council the development of cooperation with the CIS countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin held an operational meeting via video link with the permanent members of the Security Council, which discussed additional efforts to improve the results of joint work with the CIS countries, informs Kremlin press office.

“Let’s talk today about this, about what can and should be done additionally in order to achieve the best results in our joint work for the benefit of the development of our states,” the head of state suggested.

Putin recalled that the leaders of a number of CIS states took part in the events on May 9 in Moscow. The President noted that Russia and the former republics of the USSR have “a whole set of significant competitive advantages” for positive results in development “in very many areas”, including the sphere of economic activity and the economy. Among them, Putin named common transport systems, energy systems, the absence of a language barrier, etc.

The meeting was attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and others.

Earlier today on the shift of the operational meeting with the Security Council in the President’s schedule from Friday, May 19, to Monday, May 15, informed Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov. According to him, Putin made the decision to postpone the event. The Kremlin did not specify the reasons.

At the Victory Day parade on May 9, 2023 in Moscow was seven of the nine leaders of the CIS countries. These are the presidents of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan – Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajikistan – Emomali Rahmon, Uzbekistan – Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Belarus – Alexander Lukashenko and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The head of Turkmenistan (an associate member of the CIS) Serdar Berdimuhamedov also arrived in the capital. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Moldovan President Maia Sandu were not present at the May 9 events in Moscow.