President Vladimir Putin, head of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2024, will welcome the leaders of CIS member states to the Kremlin for the Council of Heads of State summit.
Before the main event, Putin is set to hold two bilateral meetings—one with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and the other with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Both discussions will focus on normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan, based on the trilateral agreements from 2020.
Following these meetings and a group photo with the CIS leaders, talks will begin in both narrow and extended formats. The face-to-face discussions will continue the informal meeting held the day before, allowing the leaders to engage in open dialogue on issues of concern to each participant.
The day's proceedings will culminate with the signing of important documents, and the summit will conclude with a formal reception honoring the foreign guests.
Summing Up and Future Plans
At the summit, the leaders will review Russia’s presidency of the CIS, as Tajikistan is set to take over in 2025. President Putin will present Moscow’s achievements, while the chairman of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, Valentina Matviyenko, will also deliver a report.
According to Yuri Ushakov, aide to the Russian president, the CIS leaders will discuss current regional and international issues, as well as steps to enhance the organization's effectiveness and its executive and sectoral bodies. Security matters will also be a key focus. The summit will confirm the appointment of Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Viktor Afzalov as the head of the CIS Air Defense Coordination Committee, and CIS Anti-Terrorism Center head Yevgeny Sysoyev will have his mandate extended.
Additionally, leaders are expected to sign documents addressing security, counterterrorism, and law enforcement. One of the highlights will be the approval of a program, initiated by Uzbekistan, for cooperation in the CIS on deradicalization for 2025-2027, alongside amendments to the 2010 agreement on interstate searches.
CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev is expected to brief journalists on the summit’s outcomes.
Preparing for the 80th Anniversary of Victory
A significant portion of the summit will focus on the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War, to be commemorated in 2025. The CIS leaders plan to adopt a special address to the peoples of the Commonwealth and the international community in honor of this milestone.
They are also set to approve the honorary title of “City of Labor Glory,” which will be awarded to cities in the former Soviet Union whose residents made notable contributions to the war effort on the home front.
Awards and Honors
The summit will also include the presentation of Russian state awards and CIS honors. President Putin will award the CIS Certificate of Honor to TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov for his significant contribution to creating a shared information space within the Commonwealth.
Ilkhom Nematov, CIS Deputy Secretary-General, will receive Russia’s Order of Friendship for his efforts in strengthening ties between CIS member states. The awards will continue the following day, with Putin set to bestow Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko with Russia’s highest honor, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle.
The next official CIS summit is scheduled for October 10, 2025, in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. However, the leaders will meet again this winter for the traditional informal summit, which will take place in St. Petersburg in December.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Artur Janas/Pixabay
Based on TASS materials