РУССКИЙ
19:13 17.04.2026 •
Sergey Lavrov and Sergey Lebedev (left) at a news conference
Photo: MFA
Remarks by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a news conference held jointly with CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev following the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers
Moscow, April 17, 2026
Ladies and gentlemen,
A meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States has just concluded. The meeting had two parts. The first one was held in a restricted-attendance format with the participation of the ministers and the CIS Secretary-General. The second part took place in an expanded format, and we used it to sign the final documents.
The meeting was held in a traditionally warm and friendly atmosphere. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my colleagues for a substantive, candid, and to-the-point exchange of views.
This year, Turkmenistan holds the CIS chairmanship. We supported the priorities proposed by Ashgabat for 2026, which are aimed at deepening multifaceted cooperation within the Commonwealth and enhancing its role in international affairs.
We will continue to provide our partners with all necessary assistance, including in implementing the extensive chairmanship programme, which features events marking the 35th anniversary of the Commonwealth.
We noted with satisfaction that the 2025 Plan of Inter-Ministerial Consultations within the CIS was successfully implemented. It is a traditional tool that we use to coordinate our foreign policies. This work will continue into this year.
We discussed pressing international issues focusing on various aspects of the unprecedented escalation in the Persian Gulf caused by the military aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran. Seven CIS foreign ministers adopted a statement on this matter, which will be circulated.
It was noted that the Gulf region crisis, which has effectively spread across the entire Middle East, is fundamentally altering overall trends in Eurasia, including in terms of approaches to ensuring the security of countries in various Eurasian subregions, as well as the reliability and security of routes for energy, food, and fertiliser supplies.
All of that will need to be redefined as we continue to develop our shared concept for advancing the Greater Eurasian Partnership with the participation of the CIS, the SCO, ASEAN, and other integration associations. In the context of shaping a common approach, we teamed up with our Belarusian colleagues to promote the idea of new security architecture in Eurasia. Clearly, many countries across Eurasia are now reassessing and redefining the arrangements that previously underpinned their economic interests, development prospects, and security considerations.
We briefed our colleagues on the latest developments regarding the efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis. No specific initiatives are available at this point. As President Vladimir Putin noted, our armed forces continue to carry out the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief as part of the special military operation.
We also discussed in detail the cultural and humanitarian dimension of cooperation within the Commonwealth. We adopted a joint statement marking the 65th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. As you are aware, Yury Gagarin, a citizen of the Soviet Union and the RSFSR, was the first human in the outer space. However, hundreds and thousands of Soviet citizens from all Soviet republics contributed to the preparation of this flight. We pointed out that we shared this commemorative date with them.
We agreed on a decision regarding the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, and a decision to declare 2028 Year of Social Development and Quality of Life in the CIS.
We also discussed projects to be submitted to the CIS Heads of State Council and the Heads of Government Council. We agreed to continue our joint efforts.
One other issue was strongly supported by all participants. I’m talking about stepping up efforts to consolidate our actions in the interests of promoting sustainable development across all CIS countries, ensuring their interests, security interests, and broader foreign policy interests on the international stage.
We agreed - this is especially important - to continue our efforts to preserve the historical truth about the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War, and to pay special attention to educating young people in CIS countries in the spirit of respect for the outstanding collective achievement of all the peoples of the USSR.
The next meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers will take place in Turkmenistan in October ahead of the meeting of heads of state. Mr Lebedev will no doubt share more about this event.
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Let us wish Mr Lebedev and his colleagues every success in implementing the agreements reached at today’s ministerial meeting in preparation for the anniversary summit.
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