Russia Supports Granting Observer Status to CIS in CSTO, Including Azerbaijan

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in favor of granting observer status to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), as he believes this will create additional mechanisms for addressing security issues.

The Russian president made this statement during an expanded meeting of CIS leaders in Astana, where a document proposing this status was presented for signature.

“We are in favor of granting observer status to the CIS in the CSTO, according to the decision presented for our approval. If certain partners, particularly the Prime Minister (of Armenia), have some concerns about this, then this issue should be further developed, attention should be paid, and work should be done in this direction,” said the Russian leader.

It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan is also included in the list of CIS countries.