St. petersburg: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not attend the upcoming informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as reported by the country's state media. The summit, scheduled to take place later in the day in St. Petersburg, Russia, will proceed without Aliyev due to his demanding work commitments, according to the Azerbaijani presidential administration.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Azerbaijani presidential administration informed the state news agency Azertac that Aliyev's absence is due to his busy schedule. The president had also missed the Eurasian Economic Union meeting in St. Petersburg the previous day, a summit Azerbaijan did not participate in since it is not a member of the economic bloc formed in 2015. Despite this, Azerbaijan remains committed to participating in official CIS summits, emphasizing its dedication to regional cooperation within the organization.

On the diplomatic front, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated to the Russian state news agency RIA that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to conduct separate meetings with Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the event. These discussions are anticipated to occur alongside the summit activities.

The CIS, established in 1991 after the Soviet Union's dissolution, seeks to foster collaboration in economic, political, and security matters among its members. The CIS includes full members Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with Turkmenistan holding associate membership. Moldova ceased its participation in CIS meetings in 2022.