A COLLECTIVE BARRIER

Current challenges to the economy and security in the post-Soviet space were the main topics of the regular meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State, held in the village of Burabay, Akmola Region in Kazakhstan. Though only eight of the 11 presidents of the CIS countries came to the summit (Turkmenistan was represented by the deputy prime minister, Moldova - by the deputy minister of foreign affairs, and Ukraine - by the country's charge d'affairs in Kazakhstan), the exchange of views on issues of exceptional importance did not loose its urgency because of that. 

Meanwhile, global challenges have not spared the CIS countries. Lower oil prices (energy supplies are the main source of income for some of the CIS countries), the fall of the national currency and the deterioration in economic performance and turnover within the organization as a result of all this, plus the threat of terrorism and religious extremism in the Middle East, not so far from the southern borders of the CIS, have long become a headache for member states. 

The final documents, numbering 16 in total, reflected not only a common vision of all these threats by the leaders of the CIS countries, but also their willingness to solve them together. 

"Current developments cannot but require the corresponding evolution of our organization, adaptation to new conditions. The CIS must also evolve to adapt to new realities and to better respond to global changes and challenges," President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who played host to the summit, would sum up later. 

As a way out of the economic crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his colleagues to be more active in changing over to supranational currencies in mutual settlements. "Today our countries are affected by a number of negative external factors - and while going to this room, we agreed with some of our colleagues, including the President of Azerbaijan, that these are a drop in prices of a number of our main export products, the uncertainty in the global economy, and the growth of political tension in many regions. All these factors lead to a slowdown in economic activity in the region," Putin said. 

According to the Russian leader, it is necessary to consider a range of measures to reduce the dependence of the national economies of the CIS countries on external markets and revive business relationships within the organization. 

"In the first half of 2015, the combined GDP of the CIS countries declined, just as investments in fixed assets. The trade turnover between our countries also decreased. In this situation, we must consider a range of measures to reduce the dependence of the national economies on external markets and revive business ties within the Commonwealth itself," said Putin. 

The proposal to proceed to settlements in national currencies was announced by the head of the Russian Federation after discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart. Speaking at the summit, President Ilham Aliyev explained the importance of this step in terms of improving statistic indicators within the organization, which had worsened as a result of conducting payment transactions in dollars: "This will allow us to avoid certain financial risks, not related to our business activity, strengthen our national currencies and further promote the cause of economic integration. Of course, the search for new forms of cooperation in the economic sphere, as well as new forms of strengthening the new economic model, especially in countries rich in natural resources is on the agenda of our countries. I think, here we can conduct more active consultations, exchange of views and experiences in order to minimize the risks incurred". 

Aliyev also noted that CIS countries demonstrate the best resilience to the global crisis among the world's oil and gas producers. Using its natural resources, Azerbaijan is actively involved in issues of transport security, implementing two major transport corridors in the region, i.e., North-South and West-East, which include many of the CIS countries. Apparently, in order to emphasize that these projects are not opposed to each other (in the West, it is customary to point out that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project within the West-East corridor bypasses Russia), Azerbaijani President invited the CIS countries, which have not yet engaged in these projects, to have a closer look at them, as the carriage of passengers and goods through these transportation routes of transcontinental scale may well result in huge financial benefits. 

Another important topic at the summit was the development of responses to the threats associated with intensified activity of terrorist groups. Many of the CIS countries had previously been acquainted with this threat, and not in theory, but disturbing developments in neighbouring regions show that no country can feel safe. The escalation of violence in the Middle East has led to the migration of civilians to Europe, which is the largest since World War II. Now everyone is concerned that under the guise of refugees, terrorists can enter prosperous countries of Western Europe, thus threatening the CIS countries not only from the southern borders, but also from the West. In this respect, the Kazakh president reiterated his initiative, voiced from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, regarding the need to establish, with the approval of this organization, a worldwide network to combat terrorist organizations. According to Nursultan Nazarbayev, the CIS countries should strengthen work in this area and use the potential of the CIS Antiterrorist Centre to the full. In this regard, the Kazakh leader commended the statements of the Heads of State, adopted at the CIS summit, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and the fight against international terrorism. 

In turn, President Putin informed his colleagues about the anti-terrorist operation conducted by Russia in Syria. The narration of the Russian leader certainly aroused genuine interest among the summit participants, who view Russia's actions in Syria as an important step to prevent the infiltration of terrorists in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Especially that Russia delivers airstrikes to the positions of the terrorists in Syria from within the water area of the Caspian Sea, which is common for the four countries of the CIS. No one doubts that the threat of terrorists breaking into the region is real. As Putin said, according to various reports, from 5,000 to 7,000 people from Russia and other CIS countries are fighting on the side of the ISIS, and we must not allow them to use their experience gained in Syria back home later. 

The Russian president also expressed his concern about the threat of terrorists coming to the CIS from Afghanistan, where the situation is close to critical. In Putin's view, a draft Cooperation Programme to Strengthen Border Security in the Years 2016-20 will help the CIS to "put a reliable barrier at the external borders". "It provides for the possibility of forming a group consisting of border guards or troops from other CIS agencies to resolve a crisis on the border," said the Russian leader. 

It is not by accident that the positions of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia on the issues discussed at the summit have been given prominence. These three countries, which possess large reserves of natural resources and great industrial potential, are the main generators of integration ideas in the CIS. They also play a key role in ensuring security in the Eurasian space. We can assume that the solving of tasks posed by the latest CIS summit will largely depend on the decisions taken by these countries in the coming period. 

One can talk for a long time about unsuccessful implementation of numerous CIS decisions regarding economic integration and security, including the settlement of regional conflicts, but it should be admitted that the Commonwealth of Independent States has proven its viability, if only as a debating society, within the framework of which the post-Soviet countries can solve or at least discuss the urgent issues. It is a different matter that in adapting to the new global realities, the CIS countries must not forget the long-standing unresolved problems inside the territory of ​​the organization. "The Commonwealth of Independent States will be respected and needed only when it addresses key issues of vital importance," President of Belarus Alyaxander Lukashenka said at the summit, and mentioned the conflicts in Nagornyy Karabakh, Transnistria and Ukraine as examples. "We bashfully avoid these problems," Lukashenka continued. "It may seem we are accustomed to the situation. We expect Americans, the European Union, or someone else to come here and say how this problem can be dealt with or to resolve the problem for us".