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CIS summit to promote new integration association – Russian president

According to Putin, the strategic goal is to create an integration economic and political association

MOSCOW, May 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed confidence that a summit meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will make it possible to settle the most acute problems and to reach progress in forming new integration associations.

“We have done a lot in the recent years to strengthen the Commonwealth and other structures, such as the Free Trade Zone Agreement, the Customs Union, and the Common Economic Space,” he said on Tuesday, opening a meeting of the Council of CIS heads of state.

According to Putin, the strategic goal is to create an integration economic and political association.

“The Commonwealth will have to settle many actual problems, and we will discuss the most acute of them today,” Putin said. “I am confident that we will have an open discussion, which will be useful for our countries and will promote the development of the Commonwealth.”

The Russian president noted that CIS countries are Russia’s “closest strategic partners.” That is why, in his words, his first international meetings in the capacity of the Russian president are summits of the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organizations (CSTO).

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