The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, attended and spoke at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS within the framework of his business trip to the Republic of Belarus.

Axar.az reports that during the speech, the role and importance of the CIS as a platform for constructive exchange of ideas and discussion of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest was emphasized.

Active cooperation with the CIS member states in the fields of economy, investments, trade, transport, and communication was discussed.

In this regard, it was pointed out that the positive dynamics of trade between Azerbaijan and the CIS member states in 2023 is an indicator of the expansion of economic relations between our countries.

It was stated that Azerbaijan plays the role of a reliable partner in the field of transit-transportation logistics between CIS member states and international markets on the East-West and North-South routes. To further improve these opportunities, active activities carried out by our country in the direction of modernization of railways, expansion of the potential of Alat international sea trade port, and development of the Alat free economic zone were discussed.

It was noted that the role of cooperation and exchanges in the humanitarian field in strengthening mutual trust and understanding, friendly neighborly relations between the CIS member states is undeniable.

It was pointed out that the CIS is a successful format for cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats in the fields of education, science, culture, health, tourism, sports, and youth.

It was mentioned that the second largest city of Azerbaijan, Ganja, will host the CIS Games in 2025, and for this purpose, the active preparations carried out in our country were discussed. At the same time, it was noted that the candidacy of the city of Lachin Azerbaijan was put forward to obtain the right to the status of the cultural capital of the CIS in 2025.

It was stated that the relevant action plan adopted in 2025 in connection with the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism during the Second World War was supported by Azerbaijan, and the important contribution of our country to the mentioned victory was discussed.

In the framework of the hosting of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) this year, preparations were made in our country. Confidence was expressed that the organization of COP29 in Azerbaijan will also stimulate the strengthening of efforts aimed at the transition to green energy within the CIS and the development of cooperation in this field.

Once again, the role of the CIS as a cooperation mechanism between the member states was mentioned, and hope was expressed that the work of the meeting would be productive.