«The Commonwealth remains reliable and, undoubtedly, demanded and effective format of cooperation,» Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of CIS Heads of State in a narrow format.
According to him, interaction within the CIS is developing against the backdrop of a difficult geopolitical situation. But within the framework of the Commonwealth, the member states build relations exclusively on the principles of partnership, mutual benefit and consideration of each other’s interests.
«This seems to be such a common diplomatic phrasing, but behind it there are real deeds and the real state of our relations. This is how it really is,» Vladimir Putin stressed.
Work within the CIS allows countries to preserve their identity, strengthens their positions without interfering with cooperation with each other and respecting their national features.
Vladimir Putin
«It is no coincidence that despite the unprecedented sanctions pressure from Western states, their threats to apply so-called secondary sanctions against those who continue to work in bilateral formats with Russia or Belarus, our economic ties and exchanges within the CIS are consistently expanding. This is in the interests of our peoples, a completely obvious thing,» the Russian President said.
Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia still has great export potential. He noted that friends from the CIS have needs — everything will be met. The President of the Russian Federation called the creation of a sustainable financial infrastructure independent of external influence, as well as the wider use of national currencies in mutual settlements, an important tool for further increasing trade operations and investment flows.
«Issues of deepening foreign policy coordination within the CIS remain relevant. Of course, there is a need not only to regularly compare views on pressing global and regional issues, but also to develop agreed upon specific approaches and jointly promote them, including at the UN and other multilateral platforms,» the head of Russia said.
We understand perfectly well, to be honest, we see that this applies not only to the CIS, this applies to all Russia’s partners: they are trying to «put pressure» on everyone, not to say to scare, intimidate, or command someone.
Vladimir Putin
«The leaders of the CIS countries, we understand this very well, we are still people who are primarily guided by national interests. Based on this, I hope we will build relationships in the future. On the contrary, we see that the rougher the attempt to put pressure on someone, the less success those who try to do this achieve,» Vladimir Putin concluded.
