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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's video address on Russia's CIS chairmanship in 2024, January 23, 2024

23 January 2024 11:20
81-23-01-2024

Colleagues,

Friends.

From January 1, 2024, Russia took up the chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Chairmanship Concept, adopted by the President of the Russian Federation, outlines our priorities for further cooperation within the CIS. A relevant action plan includes about 150 clauses and covers all main areas of the CIS activity.

We plan to pay special attention to deepening economic interaction, above all, in food and energy security, as well as in industrial cooperation, transport and logistics, the environment, innovation, and digital transformation.

At the same time, our guiding principle will be the interconnectivity of the economies of the CIS states and the Eurasian Economic Union, and the importance of coordinating decisions at the national and regional levels in order to ensure the stability of the two integration associations in the new geopolitical reality.

Naturally, against the backdrop of global instability and increased tensions along the CIS external borders, issues of ensuring security in all dimensions will be on the agenda. These will include counteracting terrorism and extremism, organised crime, illegal drug trafficking, and corruption.

The scaling up of US military and biological activity in our region and other pressing security challenges dictate the need to bring this work to a new level, both within the Commonwealth, and through joint efforts with the CSTO, the SCO and other interstate associations of Greater Eurasia.

Our attention will also focus on the task of improving foreign policy coordination. The development of joint political statements on relevant international and regional issues has become a good tradition. Last year, six such documents were adopted, covering a wide range of issues, from principles of international relations in a multipolar world to the Russian language and digital transformation. We are going to continue this useful practice.

Plans call for an expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties as a key area of work within the CIS. Every year, numerous spectacular and large-scale events, including creative and scientific forums, are held in the Commonwealth. I want to congratulate the cities of Samarkand, Tashkent and Gyumri, which this year have the status of cultural, youth, and sports capitals of the CIS, respectively.

We value the solidarity of the CIS countries in the fight against the glorification of Nazism and the falsification of history. We will continue with our joint efforts to defend the truth about our common past. The CIS has proclaimed the year 2025 the Year of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War - the Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight Against Nazism. The CIS Heads of Government Council adopted a relevant plan of events. It is envisaged that the CIS heads of state will address the peoples of the Commonwealth and the global community, and a single anniversary medal will be introduced. We will provide any assistance necessary to implement these and other initiatives in an appropriate way to preserve historical memory, including campaigns and marches together with the Immortal Regiment international movement.

We are going to pay a great deal of attention to improving the image of the CIS on the global stage and developing its contacts with friendly organisations, including in accordance with the decision to establish the CIS observer and partner statuses, adopted by the leaders of our states in Bishkek.

Colleagues,

The Commonwealth of Independent States continues to make a major contribution to the strengthening of stability in the Eurasian space and to promoting wide regional cooperation. Russia intends to conduct active work to further improve its authority as a representative and efficient dialogue and cooperation platform. We will continue to develop multilateral cooperation with our partners based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and neighbourliness.