Tokyo, 27 December, /AJMEDIA/
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for unity among former Soviet republics during an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Putin hosted the CIS summit in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg on Monday.
Putin said he has to, unfortunately, acknowledge that there are disagreements among member states of the commonwealth. He stressed the importance of working together to resolve them.
Putin said CIS member states have shared history and spiritual roots and described the Russian language as a unifying force bringing together the multinational commonwealth.
The remarks come at a time when some Central Asian countries, which Moscow deem as under its influence, appear to be distancing themselves from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin is expected to meet with his close ally, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, during a series of meetings scheduled through Tuesday to seek more help with the invasion.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign ministry on Monday issued a statement asking that Russia be stripped of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and be expelled from the United Nations altogether.
The ministry claims that Russia took over a permanent member seat from the former Soviet Union without going through due process.
It insists that Russia failed to meet the main criteria for UN membership, saying that the UN Charter “clearly states that membership in the UN is open to all peace-loving states.”
