Informal CIS Summit to be held in Moscow on May 8

An informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Summit will take place in Moscow on May 8 on the eve of the grandiose 65th Victory Day Parade, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

An informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Summit will take place in Moscow on May 8 on the eve of the grandiose 65th Victory Day Parade, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

The CIS presidents are expected to deliver an address to World War II veterans and workers of the home front. The address will be among the key issues to be discussed at the upcoming meeting of CIS Council of foreign ministers in Moscow on March 26.

Andrei Nesterenko said some 18 items would be on the meeting's agenda, including those of giving "assistance to active war veterans organizations in the Commonwealth countries in solving social issues" they are faced with.

"The foreign policy cooperation of the CIS members will occupy a significant place on the agenda," he added.

The former Soviet states of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine are members of the CIS. Georgia pulled out of the organization in 2009.

MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti)