During the informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) held at Igora Resort, Russia bestowed the CIS presidency for the year 2025 to the Republic of Tajikistan. Heads of State from CIS member countries gathered in this informal meeting to uphold the tradition of pre-New Year celebrations just before the real summits of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) slated for December 26, 2024.
The session, led by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, included leaders from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and finally dealt with such matters as the review of Russia’s CIS chairmanship for 2024 in preparation for the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in Moscow, and the handing over to Tajikistan the presidency.
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The subjects of discussion among the CIS heads were improving trade within the region; closer cooperation in engineering education, digital solutions, big data, the creative economy, and green energy. This informal summit was in continuation of the CIS tradition of annual New Year celebrations. Guests first toured the Pavlovsk Palace museum, where a small concert was arranged by Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Presidential Representative for International Cultural Cooperation.
The event culminated at the informal meeting of leaders in the Constantine Palace in Strelna. President Putin expressed priorities for Eurasian integration, such as economic interaction as well as free goods movement by elimination of trade barriers. The joint trade turnover increased by 10.6% reaching $93 billion with GDP growth in CIS countries predicted to rise at 4.7% by the end of 2024. There has been advancement on independent payment systems of which national currencies have more than 85% share. Countries of the Commonwealth are cooperating increasingly against radicalism, transnational crime, and trafficking adopting similar stand on global and regional issues.
Before the summit, President Putin met with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rehmon in the Leningrad region to discuss present and perspective Tajik-Russian relations. The trade and economic partnership between the two countries increased by 19.8% to $1.79 billion. They also discussed cooperation within regional and international organizations, including the CIS, and they congratulated each other as Tajikistan took over the CIS chairmanship.