Putin: CIS Should be Preserved

Civil Georgia, Georgia
March 25 2005

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 25 while visiting
Armenia’s capital, Yerevan that it is necessary to preserve the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

“Expecting from the CIS outstanding achievements in the spheres of
economy, political and military cooperation, naturally led to nothing,
since there were no prerequisites for that,” news agency RIA Novosti
quotes Vladimir Putin as saying.

The Russian President describes the CIS as a “useful club” for exchange
of information as well as for the determination of opinions on common
problems, economic and humanitarian issues.

“Which platform would be the most suitable for the discussion of
these issues,” says the Russian President.

According to him, the main purpose for setting up the Commonwealth
of Independent States was to symbolically have a civilized divorce
after the Soviet Union’s disintegration. “It had no other integrated
purpose,” the Russian President added.