ArmInfo. The meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS in a narrow format has started at the Grand Kremlin Palace. In his opening remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the participants of the Council meeting, which is being hosted by the Russian side as the chairman of the Commonwealth.
"First of all, I would like to emphasize that cooperation within the CIS is one of the main priorities of the Russian Federation's foreign policy. For us, the Commonwealth countries are our closest neighbors, friends, and strategic partners, and we are naturally committed to strengthening our cooperation in every possible way.
This is the focus of the Russian presidency in 2024 and the large-scale plan of relevant events. We are grateful to all our colleagues present here for their support and active participation in implementing them," the Russian leader noted. At the same time, he emphasized that the agenda of the meetings is very busy. "Naturally, we will focus on economic matters and the potential for expanding trade and investment cooperation within the CIS. I believe we have every opportunity to launch new, significant, mutually beneficial projects in industry, agriculture, finance, and infrastructure.
We will also discuss a wide range of urgent issues within the Commonwealth: ranging from common security to cultural and humanitarian cooperation," Putin added. The agenda for today's meeting includes 14 items that have been agreed upon by all participating countries.
