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The President of Russia visited the exhibition at one of the world's largest museums together with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Hermitage Director General Mikhail Piotrovsky gave the guests a tour.

An informal meeting of the CIS heads of state was held in the St George Hall of the Hermitage.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends,

We have gathered in St Petersburg to hold our traditional New Year meeting, review our joint performance within the Commonwealth of Independent States over the past year in an informal atmosphere, as well as discuss plans for the future, and, of course, address pressing issues on the international agenda.

As has been rightly noted on many occasions, over more than three decades, the Commonwealth has established itself as a reputable regional integration association, where member states build relations based on the principles of genuine good-neighbourliness, equal partnership, mutual benefit, respect, and consideration of one another’s interests. It is precisely thanks to the CIS that we have been able to preserve – and in many areas significantly expand – economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian ties that developed during the years of coexistence within a single state.

Over the past year, multifaceted cooperation among our countries has generally developed successfully. This is evidenced by the impressive volume of trade between Russia and the CIS member states, which amounted to almost $90 billion over the first ten months of the year.

Cooperation among CIS countries in the monetary and financial sphere is expanding to support mutual economic transactions. Domestic payment instruments, independent of foreign banking systems, are increasingly being used. The share of national currencies in settlements for commercial transactions between CIS countries exceeds 96 percent today.

With the participation of entrepreneurs from CIS countries, major industrial and infrastructure projects are being implemented, new Eurasian production and transport chains are taking shape, and transcontinental North–South and East–West logistics corridors are being modernised and developed. In addition to this, import substitution processes are advancing rapidly, thereby strengthening the technological sovereignty of our countries. The member states’ mutual interest in deepening practical cooperation in industry, science, technology, digitalisation, and innovation continues to grow.

The fight against terrorism and extremism, organised crime, drug trafficking, and corruption has been and remains an important area of cooperation among the Commonwealth countries. To this end, close operational contacts have been established between law enforcement agencies and competent authorities. A counterterrorism action plan until 2028 and a plan to protect the external borders of CIS member states until 2030 are currently being implemented.

It is no less important that the CIS member states cooperate in preserving a shared cultural and humanitarian space and in expanding people-to-people exchanges in a wide range of formats. After all, our nations are united by much that is truly fundamental: a deep interweaving of traditions and cultures, a commitment to shared moral and spiritual values, and close kinship and family ties. It is therefore essential to continue our joint efforts to preserve the memory of our common history and to prevent its distortion, and to do everything possible to ensure that younger generations are aware of the heroic deeds of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who, at the cost of immense sacrifice, secured victory in the Great Patriotic War, the 80th anniversary of which we all commemorated this year.

In this context, I would like to draw your attention to Russia’s initiative to publish a collection of unique archival materials devoted to the contribution of each republic of the Soviet Union to defeating Nazism. The publication will include digitised copies of previously unpublished documents and photographs. It is equally important that the CIS member states share similar or aligned approaches to key global and regional issues. At the same time, all CIS countries unanimously support the formation of a just world order based on universally recognised principles of international law, with the UN playing a central role.

In conclusion, I would like once again to express my gratitude to President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and to all our Tajikistani friends for their constructive and proactive approach to the CIS chairmanship throughout 2025. I would also like to wish every success to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and to all our Turkmenistani colleagues as they assume CIS chairmanship on January 1. We stand ready to provide all necessary support.

Overall, I am convinced that expanding partnership within the CIS across a broad range of areas fully serves the fundamental interests of our peoples. We will continue to work together to address the objectives of socioeconomic development, strengthen stability and ensure our shared security.

Friends, I would like to extend my congratulations to all of you on the forthcoming New Year, and to wish you and the citizens of your countries good health, happiness, peace, well-being and prosperity.

Thank you very much.