Results of 2017 summed up and plans for future discussed at CIS Summit

26 декабря 2017

Right after presenting state awards, Alexander Lukashenko went on a working visit to Russia to participate in an informal meeting of the CIS heads of state.

At the summit, the results of the year and plans for the future were discussed. This year, Russia presided in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also took part in the meeting. Despite the fact that the talks are informal, they were preceded by a traditional photo shoot ceremony.

The focus of the meeting was on the development of cooperation within the CIS. Since the beginning of this year, the trade turnover between the CIS states has grown by a quarter and amounted to almost 117 billion dollars. The trade of the CIS with third countries grew by 24%. Although the current meeting has an informal status, the most pressing topics were discussed as well, including the economy, politics, and doping scandals in sports. Alexander Lukashenko urged everyone not to politicize the issue of the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games.

The meeting focused not only on regional matters but also on the world agenda. Alexander Lukashenko expressed solidarity with Russia's position on Syria and Jerusalem.

As for the economic results of the year in the CIS, Alexander Lukashenko described them as successful. During the meeting, the heads of state also discussed the results of the Russian presidency in the CIS. Next year, Moscow delegates its status to Dushanbe. So the next summit will be hosted by Tajikistan.