Putin Discusses Trade in National Currencies With CIS Heads of State

Russian President Vladimir Putin met informally yesterday in St. Petersburg with the heads of state of the CIS countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, in preparation for the upcoming annual meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council, to be held next week in Astana. In his opening remarks, Putin emphasized the importance of “expanding bilateral cooperation and ensuring our technological sovereignty, among other things.”