ST. PETERSBURG, December 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a traditional informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in St. Petersburg.
All CIS leaders will meet on December 25. An informal meeting before the New Year is a long-standing tradition of the Commonwealth. This year will be no exception.
According to Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Putin will sum up the results of Russia's presidency of the CIS in 2024 during the summit. After that, "the leaders will be able to communicate with each other in an informal setting and exchange views on current international issues," the aide added. Also, Russia will hand over the rotating presidency in the group to Tajikistan.
The CIS leaders are also expected to discuss preparations for the upcoming celebrations of the 80th VE Day celebrations in 2025. All of them were invited to attend the Victory Day Parade in Moscow.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the summit as "a traditional event ahead of the New Year." "Despite its informal status, as a rule, it is a very good opportunity to once again compare notes on all pressing issues and hold bilateral contacts on the sidelines - a chance that all leaders, as a rule, make use of," he said.
Putin’s work schedule does not mention a bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but the two leaders will have an opportunity to talk to each other should the need arise, Peskov added.
Putin’s schedule
On December 24, Putin awarded Hermitage Museum Director Mikhail Piotrovsky with the Order For Merit to the Fatherland, First Class, and later met with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon.
On December 26, Putin will attend the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit with a limited circle of delegates and with the expanded circle of delegates. Not only the direct participants of the Union, but also observers - Uzbekistan and Cuba (Cuba's participation is planned in the form of a video address by the president) have been invited to it. At the meeting, the heads of states and governments will discuss the functioning of the EAEU and the further deepening of its integration.
All EAEU events will be held at Igora, a year-round resort in the Leningrad Oblast, Russia.
The EAEU is an international economic integration of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. It became operational on January 1, 2015. They are also members of the CIS. Currently, the CIS comprises 11 countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. De facto, Moldova and Ukraine have long been nominal participants and are not involved in the work of the association.