Earlier, in his opening address at the gathering of CIS leaders in St. Petersburg, Mr. Putin said he hoped the summit would help strengthen ties between the CIS countries, and that informal meetings like this provide opportunities to discuss both relations and problems within the CIS itself, and international cooperation issues.
The presidents of 11 of the CIS countries signed a number of agreements during the meeting.
Mr. Putin wished the summit’s participants all the best on behalf of President Heidar Aliyev of Azerbaijan.