Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited the leaders of CIS countries to a traditional informal pre-New Year summit in St. Petersburg on Dec. 21.
“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports, citing Russian media, that Putin made the announcement at a restricted-format meeting of CIS leaders in Turkmenistan.
“Dear friends, in keeping with a pleasant tradition, I would like to invite you all to St. Petersburg on Dec. 21, where we traditionally gather for an informal meeting of friends,” Putin said.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization bringing together several countries that emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Informal meetings among its leaders provide an opportunity for direct discussions alongside the organization’s formal summits.
