Baku explains President Aliyev’s absence from EAEU council, CIS informal summit

The reasons for President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s non-participation in the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, held on December 21 in St. Petersburg, as well as the informal CIS Heads of State Summit scheduled for today, have been clarified.

The Presidential Administration told Azertag that President Ilham Aliyev did not attend the December 21 meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council because Azerbaijan is not a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

The head of state will also be unable to take part in the informal CIS summit taking place today in St. Petersburg due to a busy work schedule.

It was emphasised that the Republic of Azerbaijan, as a CIS member state, regularly participates in official CIS summits and attaches great importance to cooperation within the organisation, including the development of bilateral relations with CIS member states.

President Ilham Aliyev took part in the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting held on October 9–10 this year in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where meetings conducted both bilaterally and multilaterally were described as productive.

By Khagan Isayev