Russia’s top diplomat late Wednesday arrived in the Kazakh city of Almaty ahead of a foreign ministers summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Russian state news agency RIA reported Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov‘s arrival in Almaty, adding that he is expected to attend the CIS Foreign Ministers’ Summit later this week. He will also hold separate meetings with his Central Asian counterparts.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Lavrov would take part in the CIS Foreign Ministers Council meeting on Friday.
“The ministers will exchange views on current international and regional issues and discuss priority spheres of integration cooperation within the CIS this year,” Zakharova said, adding they will also focus on other issues of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as ways to strengthen border security.
The CIS is a regional organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 by its former members to promote cooperation in economic, political, and security affairs.