Belarusian president praises CIS as 'regional association of 9 powerful and wealthy states'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday described the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which comprises former Soviet republics, as a “regional association of nine powerful and wealthy states.”

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Lukashenko reflected on the outcomes of the previous day’s CIS leaders' summit, noting that they discussed a range of global and regional issues with “unanimity on many matters.”

Lukashenko highlighted that the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan addressed the peace process between Baku and Yerevan concerning the situation in Karabakh. He mentioned that this was “well received” by all parties, demonstrating the substantial progress made in this area.

“It turns out we have nine powerful and rich states. This robust regional association can be effective if we continue to make significant efforts,” he said.

Lukashenko argued that despite attempts by Western countries to stifle the economies of Russia and Belarus, these efforts have failed.

“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, we prioritized preserving and developing what we had. Today, this decision has proven beneficial. We now collaborate across many sectors, producing goods together,” he said.

"No matter how often we meet, our discussions always include domestic matters, the welfare of our citizens, and security issues."

For his part, Putin expressed satisfaction with the pace of Russian-Belarusian trade relations, noting that bilateral trade reached $46.5 billion.

“In the past year and a half, we have made significant progress in microelectronics, and we now see new opportunities in aviation construction and the aviation industry,” Putin said.

Russia and Belarus “complement” each other in various sectors, enabling both countries to advance together, he said.

After the meeting, Putin presented Lukashenko with Russia’s highest state honor, the Order of Andrey the First-Called.

The CIS was established in 1991 to facilitate collaboration among former Soviet republics as independent states.