On October 8, in Moscow, under the chairmanship of President of Russia Vladimir Putin, a regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS was held.

The meeting was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev.

According to TDH, during the Summit, the CIS Heads of State Council's Decision on the chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2025 was signed, which will pass to the Republic of Tajikistan. The co-chairmanship during this period will be carried out by the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan.

Speech by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Dear Heads of State!

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation for the hospitality, warm welcome, and excellent conditions created for work.

And before moving on to the topic of our meeting, let me once again congratulate dear Vladimir Vladimirovich on his birthday, wish him good health and new successes in his service to the Russian people and state!

Vladimir Vladimirovich enjoys great respect and authority in Turkmenistan and is one of the architects of the relations of friendship, good neighborliness, and cooperation between our countries.

Dear participants!

This year for the Commonwealth of Independent States is marked by the implementation of the main priorities and tasks. This includes strengthening security and stability, deepening economic partnership, and expanding humanitarian ties.

I believe that in the upcoming period, the Commonwealth faces the goals of maximizing our potential to fulfill the agreements reached and new goals dictated by current changes and trends in world political and economic life.

I am convinced that our main defining task as responsible states is to continue joint work to ensure lasting peace and stability within the Commonwealth. This can be achieved by pursuing a coordinated line to further strengthen the mechanisms of political and diplomatic interaction within the CIS, defending positions in favor of peace and security on the global stage, in international organizations.

Today, the issue of countering new challenges and threats is particularly acute. I mean, first of all, such serious risks as biological danger, cybercrime, and the illegal use of information platforms. I believe that our countries need to move to more active, coordinated, and structured approaches to these phenomena, develop mechanisms to protect against attempts to exert destructive influence on state institutions and public life, and purposefully suppress attempts to introduce elements of radicalism, sow enmity and intolerance.

To do this, we need to use the political-diplomatic, organizational, scientific-technical, and other resources at our disposal. Peace, stability, and security within the Commonwealth must be inviolable and reliably guaranteed.

On the external contour, we face no less significant tasks. The ongoing session of the UN General Assembly has shown the presence of considerable and largely conceptual differences in approaches to solving a number of acute problems of modern geopolitics. Nevertheless, despite all their seriousness, Turkmenistan believes that stabilizing the situation in the world is possible, and it lies in the political-diplomatic, negotiation plane. The most important factor in this context is the use of the UN as the only organization with universal legitimacy in maintaining global security and stability.

Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. This is a major milestone.

It is obvious that the CIS, as a partner of the UN, needs to carry out significant work aimed at strengthening the global organization, supporting and uniting member states around the UN Charter, and countering attempts to discredit and undermine its functions.

An important part of our joint activities in this regard, Turkmenistan considers the holding of events next year within the framework of the International Year of Peace and Trust, in accordance with the resolution of the General Assembly adopted at the initiative of our country. Of course, as the author of this proposal, Turkmenistan will play a proactive role in the upcoming work, and we would like to attract CIS partners to it as much as possible, enlisting your active support. I am convinced that in the current difficulties, solid, substantial work within the framework of the Year of Peace and Trust can become a significant constructive contribution to improving the situation in the world, giving political and moral impulses to all healthy forces advocating normalization, de-escalation, and a transition to respectful, predictable dialogue and communication. The Commonwealth of Independent States is called upon and should play a noticeable role in this.

Dear participants!

At the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government held in Ashgabat in May this year, agreements were reached and specific tasks were set for further deepening economic partnership. Priorities include transport, energy, industrial cooperation, and a number of other areas. Turkmenistan fully supports this approach. Advocating for the full implementation of the provisions of the CIS Economic Cooperation Strategy until 2030, we proceed from the need for phased and consistent implementation of the document, adhering to the schedules of the agreements reached in one direction or another.

In general, we are convinced that the CIS in its economic activities should focus on the major, defining trends of global geo-economics to ensure its strategic involvement in their course and structural direction. The essence of these trends today is the shift of the vector of economic development to the south and southeast. The CIS is a natural space in this irreversible movement.

One of the effective ways here is the participation of the CIS in international and regional projects in the southern and southeastern directions from the borders of the Commonwealth. Moreover, opportunities for this are opening up. Recently, in mid-September, Turkmenistan began the practical implementation of a new stage in the construction of large infrastructure facilities. The laying of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline has begun. The Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission line has been launched. The construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan railway branch on the territory of the neighboring state has started.

The participation of CIS countries in these and other similar projects that will appear is a sure and reliable way to a strategic perspective, and we must fully utilize our collective resource and potential.

This fully applies to the issue of transport connectivity, primarily in the context of implementing the Action Plan for optimizing infrastructure and developing international corridors passing through the territories of the CIS member states until 2030.

Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to cooperation among CIS countries in the North-South transport corridor project along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea with further access to Iran and then to the seaports of the Indian Ocean. In this regard, we propose to start a substantive discussion and agreement on unified tariff, customs, visa, and other preferences for the participating countries of the project.

We believe that similar work needs to be carried out in the context of plans to create transport corridors through the territory of Central Asian and Caspian region countries along the East-West line.

I propose to consider in specific terms the modalities of this work - with an indication of deadlines, agenda, etc., and give instructions to the relevant departments of our countries.

In the energy sector, Turkmenistan advocates for expanding the volumes and geography of energy supplies through the territory of the CIS and beyond. This concerns both raw material supplies and electricity.

We consider the creation of conditions for the functioning of a "green" economy, the formation of economic and production clusters based on low-carbon energy, to be a very important direction of our cooperation. This is a promising task, but we need to approach its implementation now, using the serious scientific and technological potential available in our countries, creating conditions for joint research and practical cooperation.

Dear heads of delegations!

Against the backdrop of complex processes observed in different parts of the world today, our task, responsibility, and purpose are to preserve what is of particular importance to the peoples of the CIS - the traditions of good neighborliness, mutual understanding, and respect based on the historical ties and fundamental values we share.

An effective way to preserve and develop them is broad and multifaceted cultural cooperation, the participation of CIS countries in major events held in our countries for significant reasons.

Turkmenistan highly appreciates the participation of high delegations from CIS countries in the upcoming International Forum in Ashgabat, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of Magtumguly Pragy, which will take place in just two days. We express our most sincere gratitude for this.

Dear heads of delegations!

Turkmenistan reaffirms its firm commitment to further developing and strengthening cooperation within the CIS, openness to discussing and implementing joint plans, and solving urgent tasks on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and consideration of interests, as has been customary in our long-term joint work.

In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to the Russian Federation for its effective chairmanship in the Commonwealth.

I also extend my gratitude to the CIS Secretary General Sergey Nikolayevich Lebedev for coordinating our interaction and contributing to the preparation and successful conduct of this meeting.