Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his support for the decision to create a new working platform, CIS Plus.

Axar.az informs, citing TASS, "We fundamentally support the decision being made today to create a new working platform, CIS Plus. This will enable us to more actively involve other states and international organizations in cooperation with our organization," the Russian leader said, speaking at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State.

Putin thanked his colleagues for their support of Sergey Lebedev's candidacy for the post of CIS Secretary-General.

"He is well known to everyone and, in my opinion, has demonstrated through his work that he is worthy of going ahead with his endeavor in this capacity," Putin noted. "I would also like, of course, to wish success to our Turkmen friends, who will assume the chairmanship of the Commonwealth in 2026," he added. Speaking about foreign policy coordination, Putin emphasized its importance, given the events unfolding internationally. "We consider the Joint Statement submitted today for the Council's approval on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the UN to be highly relevant in this regard," he emphasized.

The Russian leader also expressed support for deepener contacts between the Commonwealth and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This, he said, is the purpose of the draft resolution on granting the SCO observer status within the CIS.

"Indeed, it would be useful to fully tap the potential for cooperation between the two organizations to ensure the secure and sustainable development of our countries and the entire Eurasian region," Putin concluded.