MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - The current CIS summit in Kazan will not mark the end of the CIS, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"I am convinced the summit will not be the CIS' funeral," Lavrov told the Moscow News weekly. However, he added that "the present structure [of the CIS] has not yielded the results the CIS founders hoped for."
The founders were far-sighted when mentioning in the organization's regulations that integration at different levels and speed was possible within the CIS, he said.
"Those who are ready for more advanced integration forms leave the door open to others," Lavrov said, citing the example of the Eurasian Economic Community, the Central Asian Cooperation Organization and the GUAM alliance (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova).
"I think that none of our CIS partners intends to establish relations with a third country out of spite for Russia. This is impossible given the geographic vicinity, economic community and cultural, historic and human links," Lavrov said, admitting competition within the CIS.
He said the Moscow session of the Council of CIS Foreign Ministers proved that all 12 members were interested in preserving the CIS and backed the promotion of humanitarian cooperation.
