Following the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Dushanbe, the leaders of the participating countries signed a package of 19 documents covering key areas of cooperation in politics, security and energy. The adopted documents were published by the Kremlin’s press service on Friday, October 10.
Among the decisions made is the establishment of the “CIS Plus” format, which, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will allow other states and international structures to be involved in the work of the organization.
The parties also approved cooperation programs in the field of countering terrorism and extremism for 2026-2028, programs for strengthening border security on the external borders of the CIS until 2030, as well as the concept of military cooperation until 2030. The heads of state also agreed on a declaration on cooperation in the field of ensuring regional energy security.
Special attention was paid to the issues of combating international crime. Joint statements were signed on cooperation in combating transnational crime, as well as on measures to prevent money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The leaders also adopted a statement on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the creation of the UN and in connection with the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster NPP.
New decisions on the structure of the CIS
During the meeting, it was announced that the chairmanship of the Commonwealth would pass to Turkmenistan from January 2026. In addition, the powers of Secretary General Sergei Lebedev have been extended for another three years.
The Council of Heads of State of the CIS meets annually. Last year the meeting was held on October 11, 2024 in Bishkek. As a result, agreements were signed on the development of economic cooperation, cultural and humanitarian ties and security. At the same time, the heads of countries approved the agreement on the establishment of the International Organization for the Russian Language and a number of other documents aimed at strengthening interstate cooperation.