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Ukraine’s leaving CIS not on agenda in near future — Kremlin aide

Ukraine has not been paying its CIS membership fees since 2014
A meeting of the Council of the Leaders of CIS Member States at Minsk's Palace of Independence, 2014 Mikhail Metzel/TASS
A meeting of the Council of the Leaders of CIS Member States at Minsk's Palace of Independence, 2014
© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

MOSCOW, September 15./TASS/. The issue of Ukraine’s leaving the Commonwealth of Independent States will not be considered in the near future, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Thursday.

"As you remember, Georgia quit in its time, it was an official statement, it was looked into and Georgia thus left," he said. "Here (a possible CIS exit), this procedure did not take place, and I know that this issue will not be considered in the near future," Ushakov said in reply to the question about Ukraine’s possibly leaving the CIS. 

Putin’s aide reminded reporters that Ukraine has not been paying its CIS membership fees since 2014, but at the moment this is not a ground for expelling the country from the alliance of post-Soviet states.

He added that Ukraine’s CIS membership in the future is important for the country itself. "I believe this is important for Ukraine itself in terms of prospects," he said.

He explained that at the upcoming CIS summit in Bishkek on September 16-17 Ukraine would be represented by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kyrgyzstan Nikolai Doroshenko who will not take part in the meeting of the CIS delegations' leaders in a narrow format.