Putin holds Security Council meeting on priority steps in CIS relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a traditional Friday operational meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council to discuss priority measures in Russia’s relations with countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The session was held via video link, with Putin himself opening the discussion, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“Today we will focus on our work in one of the most important areas of our policy, namely the CIS space,” Putin told participants. “We will discuss engagement with certain CIS countries, determine what is a priority in this area, and outline the immediate steps and goals we should pursue.”

Putin designated Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as the keynote speaker for the meeting, while also noting that other members would have the opportunity to speak.

In attendance were key figures from the Russian leadership, including Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Anton Vaino, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, and the heads of the FSB and SVR, Alexander Bortnikov and Sergei Naryshkin.

The president typically holds these operational meetings with permanent Security Council members once a week, usually on Fridays, to address pressing national security issues across various domains. The previous session focused on regional security matters.

By Tamilla Hasanova