TURKMENBASHI /Turkmenistan/, October 9. /TASS/. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) could achieve much greater success by removing trade barriers, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of CIS leaders, noting that some national restrictions only hinder trade development within the Commonwealth.

"Could we move even faster? Probably. What needs to be done to achieve this? We need to remove barriers," the Russian leader stressed.

According to Putin, the leaders of CIS countries are working on practical measures. However, restrictions are sometimes introduced "at the national level," he noted. "We are deliberately holding back the pace [of development] that could otherwise be achieved," the president concluded.