Positive signs of 'revival'

The annual summit of leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) took place in Moscow, Russia, on October 8th.

Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the CIS summit in Moscow on October 8. (Source: kremlin.ru)

Chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and attended by the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, the conference affirmed the growing interest of its members in further promoting the bloc's political and economic relations.

The challenges facing the CIS today are maintaining unified action in the face of increasing external influence, fostering solidarity among members to address emerging challenges, and strengthening cooperation among members within the bloc. During its presidency year, Russia has achieved some notable results.

Closest strategic partner

At the conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted several key points of Russia's policy towards the member states, affirming that cooperation within the CIS framework is a top priority in Russia's foreign policy. Putin emphasized that, for Russia, the CIS countries are neighbors, friends, and the closest strategic partners with whom Russia is committed to strengthening cooperation in every possible way.

The leader affirmed his particular interest in the Community's economic issues and expressed confidence that the countries have ample opportunity to launch new, large-scale, mutually beneficial projects in sectors ranging from industry and agriculture to finance and infrastructure. The Kremlin leader emphasized that joint efforts, a stable and independent financial infrastructure, and the external influence of the CIS, as well as import substitution processes in the post-Soviet space, thereby strengthening technological sovereignty , are progressing rapidly within the bloc.

Agreeing with the Russian leader on measures to counter Western sanctions against some countries in the CIS, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko called on CIS countries to jointly develop proportionate countermeasures.

Lukashenko argued that Western policies aim not only to undermine individual countries but also to divide the CIS politically and economically. Leaders of the countries shared the Belarusian president's views and agreed to continue discussions on this topic to reach a common course of action. The previous day, at a meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers, the Declarations "On Principles of Cooperation for Security in Eurasia" and "On the Rejection of the Unilateral Use of Sanctions in International Relations" were adopted.

Along with political and economic topics, key areas of cooperation within the CIS, including counter-terrorism and extremism, organized crime, drug trafficking, and corruption, were discussed and reached a high degree of consensus.

The conference adopted the “Program of Cooperation in the Field of De-Extremism for the period 2025-2027,” initiated by Uzbekistan. The program was spurred on following the bloody terrorist attack in March of this year at the Crocus Theatre in Moscow, as well as the increasing number of illegal labor migrations between member states.

Commemorating the Great Patriotic War

One of the key outcomes of the Conference was the adoption of the Agenda for commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Victory over Fascism in 2025. President Lukashenko emphasized the need to preserve the memory of the war and the heroic deeds of the Soviet peoples who made a significant contribution to the victory. He proposed developing a joint action program against the glorification of Nazism, as well as preserving and adding new monuments to honor the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

President Putin supported the idea of ​​his Belarusian counterpart, affirming that the CIS will jointly celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War next year and consider it a year of peace and solidarity within the CIS. He also proposed the initiative to award the CIS Honorary title "Glorious City of Labor: 1941-1945" to cities in the CIS whose citizens made exceptional contributions to the Great Victory. This title, along with the "Hero City" title, has already been awarded to 13 cities formerly belonging to Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Today, the historical context is different, but building a common community is impossible without mutual understanding between the peoples of different countries. Therefore, the Unification Summit agreed to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and support the idea of ​​establishing an association of volunteer and non-profit organizations in the CIS and organizing an annual volunteer forum for CIS countries.

Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks mediator

A significant victory for the host country's president at this conference was creating a forum for the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to sit down together. Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan declared that "Armenia is ready to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan," while Azerbaijani President I. Aliyev agreed in principle, although he did not specify when the agreement would be signed.

As for Russia, which proposed initiatives for the negotiations from the early 2020s, it achieved a strategic breakthrough in mediating between Baku and Yerevan, a conflict that erupted in the late 1980s. The rapprochement between Baku and Yerevan at this conference, mediated by President Putin, makes the EU and NATO's mediation plans for Armenia-Azerbaijan relations seem less feasible.

Against the backdrop of ongoing global conflicts and the escalating competition for influence among major powers in the post-Soviet space, the outcomes of the CIS Moscow Summit demonstrate the revival of a community that was once very closely knit.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-cis-tin-hieu-hoi-sinh-tich-cuc-289524.html