Uzbek, Turkmen Leaders to Miss CIS Summit

On December, 20-21, the presidents of Russia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Belarus will gather for an informal summit at Borovoye, a resort in eastern Kazakstan.



Two members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS, will be absent from the meeting – Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.



According to Kazak and Russian media, the participating heads of state will discuss ways of coping with global financial crisis and limiting its effects in the region. They will also discuss a proposal by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to make the Russian rouble the reserve currency for CIS countries.



Turkmenistan is not a full member of the CIS, having downgraded its status to that of associate member in 2005. Its president, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov, will be meeting his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov in Ashgabat when the summit takes place.



Uzbekistan’s president Islam Karimov has ignored the invitation to attend, as part of a new strategy of staying at arm’s length from regional groupings. In October, 2008, the Uzbeks announced they were resigning from a CIS subgrouping, the Eurasian Economic Community.



“Karimov has repeatedly spoken of the failings of the CIS and other entities, and of their inability to resolve problems. said Orozbek Moldaliev, head of the Central Asian Politics, Religion and Security Centre in Bishkek. “So it is not surprising that Tashkent ignores such summits.”