The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Summit took place on October 8 under the chairmanship of Russian President V. Putin and the Heads of State of the CIS countries. The event received great attention from the regional and Western press, who followed and evaluated the role of the CIS and Russia in the current post-Soviet space.
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| Leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at the Moscow Conference, October 8. (Source: News Centre Asia) |
Create new vitality
The most prominent highlight of the CIS Summit in Moscow this time is that the heads of state of the CIS countries gathered in full force in the capital Moscow, despite the increasingly tense developments surrounding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region that has not yet found a consensus.
Images of CIS leaders walking and sightseeing together on the streets of Moscow in the chilly late autumn weather were published prominently in Russian media, showing that this Conference is a good opportunity for leaders of countries to find a common voice to strengthen cooperation within the bloc and solve outstanding issues in the region.
The conference adopted a Message to the peoples of the CIS countries and the world community on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. The Message calls on the peoples of the CIS countries and the peoples of the world to prevent the revival of fascism, Nazism, militarism and attempts to provoke a new world war.
At the same time, the CIS heads of state also agreed to adopt the Convention on the Legal Status of Missions Sent to the CIS Countries and Amendments to the Treaty on Interstate Search of Persons of December 10, 2010; the Program for Cooperation in the Field of Deradicalization for 2025–2027; and the Declaration on the Development of Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence for Civil Purposes. Although these documents do not concern the key areas of cooperation within the CIS, this is a commendable effort by the host country Russia in the context of the current complex and unpredictable geopolitical situation in the world and the region.
At the conference, Russia received sincere and friendly support from CIS countries such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan... Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated: "We must protect our Commonwealth and for these purposes, take the most effective measures to strengthen mutual trust, refrain from public attacks of criticism at the level of heads of state". Russian financial and economic analyst Alexander Razuvaev said that the statement of the Kazakh President was "a mild attack on Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, who made very harsh statements against the President of Belarus", as well as on his behavior in relations with Moscow.
“Headwinds” in the Conference
According to the Armenpress news agency (Armenia), Yerevan refused to sign two joint statements at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS, which took place one day before the Conference of CIS leaders.
The first statement focused on the principles of cooperation to ensure security in the Eurasian region, and called for “adaptation of the Eurasian architecture of cooperation in the security, economic, cultural, and other fields to the de facto multipolarity of the region.” The second statement on the inadmissibility of unilateral restrictive measures in international relations, recommended that member states refrain from adopting, expanding, or implementing such measures.
Some Western news agencies believe that Armenia’s refusal to endorse the two joint statements reflects the growing tension between Russia and Armenia following the country’s anti-Moscow moves. Currently, Russia-Armenia relations have been in a state of “free fall”, reaching “the lowest point in the history of the two countries” since 2022, when Armenia boycotted most meetings of the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Politico (USA) commented that although it has been a traditional ally of Russia for decades, Armenia is turning to the West to seek new partnerships after accusing Moscow of doing nothing to prevent Azerbaijan's lightning attack on Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. Armenia has also begun supplying Soviet-era weapons to Ukraine. In late September this year, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan "hinted" at the possibility of Armenia joining Tehran to expel Russian forces from the Armenia-Turkey-Iran border.
Western political analysts say that despite its great efforts to mobilize "key allies in the CIS", apart from the supportive voices of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, promoting the Russian language and culture in the CIS space... Russia has also failed to convince the leaders of many CIS countries to "defend" it in the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, Moscow has not received the support of all in criticizing the current comprehensive embargo policies of the US and the West against Russia and finding appropriate and effective ways to promote economic-trade and investment cooperation within the CIS framework in the coming time.
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| Heads of state of 10 CIS countries gathered in Moscow on October 8. (Source: News Centre Asia) |
Kazakhstan's efforts
“The Commonwealth of Independent States has been widely recognized by the international community as an effective regional organization that makes a significant contribution to global cooperation and development,” Kazakh President Jomart-Kassym Tokayev said at the Summit, stressing that the organization’s growing power on the world stage. President Jomart-Kassym Tokayev noted that for Kazakhstan, further strengthening the potential of the CIS as an authoritative international organization established on the basis of the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration is an absolute priority and he proposed establishing the CIS+ format.
Analyst Alexander Razuvaev believes that Mongolia will soon join the CIS+ format, and Georgia will return to the CIS because the relationship between Georgia and Russia has become very warm and they have always had very good relations with Azerbaijan in terms of investment...
Also at this Conference, President Tokayev proposed to implement the “Commonwealth Fair” program, within the framework of trade events that will be held annually in various cities of the CIS countries with the participation of artisans and farmers from the entire Eurasian region. Mr. Tokayev said that Kazakhstan is ready to hold this Fair for the first time in one of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan, Taraz, which was an important crossroads of the legendary Silk Road.
Regarding the maintenance of stability and security in the Eurasian region, Kazakhstan welcomed the joint steps taken by Azerbaijan and Armenia to conclude a peace agreement and noted with pleasure the significant progress in the demarcation of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The President of Kazakhstan stated his readiness to provide a “playground” for negotiations on conflicts in the post-Soviet space. Alexander Razuvaev said that it is not excluded that in the future there will be negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Astana.
Many political analysts in Central Asia believe that Kazakhstan's efforts in the role of "mediator" for conflicts in the region and the world in recent times in international forums such as the United Nations, CIS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Eurasian Economic Union, Organization for Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Organization of Turkic-Speaking Countries have been strengthening the country's voice and prestige, turning Kazakhstan into a "middle power" with important influence on the current regional and world agenda.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thuong-dinh-sng-moscow-moi-quan-tam-den-a-au-dang-tang-len-289880.html
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