MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. Russia expects new participants to join the International Organization for the Russian Language, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at his annual news conference devoted to reviewing Moscow’s main foreign policy achievements in 2023.

"This year, Russia became the chair of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). We intend to continue those useful projects that were launched the previous year, and we will pay special attention to the International Organization for the Russian Language established at the summit in Bishkek last fall," the minister said. "The organization is open for participation of any state in the world, and we know that the Russian language is popular on all continents. We expect that there will be plenty of nations interested in this organization."

The treaty on the establishment of the International Organization for the Russian Language, initiated by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in 2022, was signed by the heads of state of the CIS at a meeting in Bishkek on October 13, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed placing the headquarters of the organization in Sochi and expressed hope for the prompt launch of this body. Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov noted that the new organization "will not be limited by the Commonwealth space" and will be open for all interested states to join.