BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. Turkmenistan and the CIS discussed expanding practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
This was reflected in a press release published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan on September 10.
According to the report, this was discussed during a meeting between Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev, who arrived in Turkmenistan to attend the 111th meeting of the CIS Economic Council.
The sides exchanged views on preparations for meetings of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers and Council of Heads of State, scheduled for October 7 and 9, respectively, in Avaza.
Particular attention was paid to organizational arrangements and the agendas of the upcoming high-level meetings.
The officials also discussed the practical implementation of Turkmenistan's priorities during its CIS chairmanship in 2026.
The ministry outlined that the sides discussed “further improvement of cooperation mechanisms within the Commonwealth, with particular attention to expanding practical cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.”
To note, Turkmenistan assumed the chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on January 1, 2026, succeeding Tajikistan, and has outlined a Concept for its year-long tenure focusing on five priority areas: ensuring peace and security (with emphasis on neutrality and trust-building), economic cooperation and transport connectivity (including North-South and East-West corridors), digital transformation, the environmental agenda, and humanitarian cooperation.
