Mikhail Mishustin: “The CIS is not just a large market for the member states but our key foreign trade market. Last year, the share of the CIS countries accounted for more than 15.5 percent of Russia’s foreign trade, which is more than the year before.”
List of the heads of delegations taking part in the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government:
Heads of the delegations participating in the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government pose for a photograph
Restricted format meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government Council
Restricted format meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government Council
Restricted format meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government Council
Heads of the delegations participating in the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government pose for a photograph
Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Ali Hidayat oglu Asadov;
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia – Mher Grigoryan;
Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus – Alexander Turchin;
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Olzhas Bektenov;
Prime Minister – Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Kyrgyz Republic – Adylbek Kasymaliev;
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Mikhail Mishustin;
Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan – Chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of Government – Kokhir Rasulzoda;
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkmenistan – Hojamyrat Geldimyradov;
Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan – Abdulla Aripov;
Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States – Sergei Lebedev.
Mikhail Mishustin’s address:
Good afternoon, colleagues.
I would like to second the opinion of previous speakers who expressed gratitude to my colleague, Kokhir Rasulzoda, for the brilliant organisation of these events in Tajikistan, and to wish him success in his position as Chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of Government this year.
I would also like to send special greetings to Prime Minister of the Belarus Alexander Turchin and to Prime Minister – Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev, who are attending the meeting of the heads of government for the first time. We pin our hopes on constructive cooperation to strengthen interaction within the CIS.
I would also like to use this occasion to congratulate all Muslims on the upcoming holiday of Eid al-Adha and to wish all the best to you and your families.
Colleagues,
Dear friends,
This is a special year when we jointly celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. By agreement of our leaders, the CIS has designated this year the Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight Against Nazism. As President Vladimir Putin pointed out during the informal meeting of the CIS leaders held in the Leningrad Region in December 2024, “the CIS countries remember and hold sacred the immortal heroism of our peoples, the peoples of the Soviet Union who fought side by side to bring our victory in the Great Patriotic War.”
The CIS is not just a large market for the member states but our key foreign trade market.
Our colleagues have provided proof of that. Last year, the share of the CIS countries accounted for more than 15.5 percent of Russia’s foreign trade, which is more than the year before.
Russia’s chairmanship of the CIS bodies came to an end in late 2024. Colleagues, we have been working together to give a new quality to our integration, adopting a number of important documents in energy, logistics and intellectual property, strengthening our food security, further developing our transport complex, stimulating innovations and encouraging entrepreneurial activity.
We consider it important to continue to promote cooperation between the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Taking into account close ties between our countries, we should also coordinate the legal regulation systems of the CIS and the EAEU.
Our colleagues have already addressed the issue of industrial cooperation. I would like to point out that we attach great importance to the development industrial cooperation at the EAEU, providing financial support from the union’s budget to joint projects of our countries’ companies in the form of subsidised interest rates on the loan granted by commercial banks for the implementation of such initiatives. We are also working on similar support mechanisms in agriculture.
The EAEU has adopted the Unified System of Customs Transit Agreement to strengthen the foreign trade ties of the Union. It is open for all countries, which can join the system of transit via the EAEU to cut the expenditures of their businesses and enhance the safety of cross-border deliveries, which are vital for all sides.
I invite the CIS partners to join this agreement.
Colleagues,
Tajikistan took over CIS Chairmanship in January 2025. Mr Rasulzoda, Russia as the co-chair is ready to support your initiatives that will unlock the potential of the CIS and improve the quality of life in our countries. It is exceptionally important to implement all our agreements in order to secure practical results.
Those who would like to take a closer look at Russia’s forward-looking achievements in industry can do this at the Innoprom exhibition. I would like to use this occasion to invite all of you to that event, which will be held in Yekaterinburg next month. Its format is very good for exchanging best business practices and coordinating promising contracts.
We will be delighted to see the CIS heads of states at Innoprom. I would also like to remind you that we hope to see you at the Altai conference on ecology and nature protection, which will be held on July 24–26, 2025.
We also invite performance groups from the CIS countries to take part in the Intervision international music festival, which will be held in Moscow this autumn. It is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the unique traditions and modern achievements of our nations. This event will also become a major venue for the development of humanitarian cooperation, including within the CIS.
Colleagues and friends, Russia is a reliable ally and trade partner for the CIS countries. We are committed to continuing our joint constructive work.
Thank you.
