CIS informal meeting kicks off in St. Petersburg VIDEO

An informal meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders has kicked off in Saint Petersburg.

On December 26, the heads of the CIS states gathered at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin for a traditional New Year's informal summit, Caliber.Az reports.

The meeting is taking place in the Presidential Library on Senate Square. It is attended by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Before starting, Putin warmly greeted each of the guests, which was then followed by a joint photo-op ceremony.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier stated that the open part of the St. Petersburg event is expected to include a speech by the Russian president, "a brief remark". There will then be a general discussion, during which the leaders will have the opportunity "to talk both individually and together," the Kremlin spokesman noted. However, he ruled out the possibility of holding trilateral meetings by Putin with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The summit will last for two days. On December 27, participants are scheduled to have an informal breakfast at the State Russian Museum.

"It will also be a good opportunity to continue the communication," Peskov noted.