Klishevich on how the CIS can become a powerful integration association in the region

The anniversary summit of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS, dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the organization, was held on October 9, 2026 in Turkmenistan (in the Avaza tourist zone on the coast of the Caspian Sea). President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko also took part in the summit. In his powerful speech at the summit, Alexander Lukashenko drew attention not only to the achievements and successes, but also to the shortcomings. At the same time, the Head of State is convinced that the association will remain a common destiny for many years to come. On the air of the talk show “Budni” on the YouTube channel “SBTV” and “Alfa Radio” Deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Sergey Klishevich told what the strength of the CIS and what the future awaits him, writes sb.by.

According to Sergey Klishevich, the geopolitical transformation that is taking place in the world is also affecting the CIS

- In fact, the CIS+ summit was held. So, in addition to the countries participating in the integration association, the invited guest country, Iran, also participated. This is the 21st country in the world in terms of purchasing power index. In addition, it is the second country on the planet in terms of gas reserves and the fourth in terms of oil reserves. And Iran has expressed a desire to cooperate more closely with our integration association. For us, Iran’s participation in the CIS summit is the economy, transit, the Caspian Sea, through which we can also send our cargo.

Therefore, this summit is significant: it shows that the CIS is not dying, as many experts previously predicted, but has reserves to truly become a powerful integration association in our region

- If there is no economy, the integration of the post-Soviet states can simply turn into a club of interests. Therefore, of course, economic issues were in the spotlight. The head of state also outlined problematic issues and proposals for the development of our relations. The humanitarian foundation, our common history, is what unites us. That's the basis. But then we need the economy. Without it, in fact, such a union does not make sense.

At the same time, it is clear that for the region covering the post-Soviet space, personal relations between the leaders of states play a special role, said Sergey Klishevich, - trade and economic partnerships between the countries largely depend on them.

- Therefore, no matter how the situation develops in the CIS, bilateral contacts are very important. And the Belarusian head of state has quite friendly and warm contacts with many states, we can implement interesting, mutually beneficial projects with them. Therefore, of course, the summit shows that the CIS has not yet outlived itself. This is an integration structure that can be reformatted and already in a new status, taking into account global geopolitical changes, contribute to trade and economic development, and therefore to improving the lives of citizens.

Sergey Klishevich also noted that Georgia, which initially withdrew from the CIS, is now looking for options to restore the very trade base that would allow the exchange of goods and services and receive tangible economic benefits for the state. In other words, there was a reverse process, the speaker said. He added that Moldova, which decided to withdraw from the CIS, does not meet the interests of the European Union: there is already an excess of agricultural products. Sergey Klishevich noted that in a number of areas there is a desire to turn Moldova into a raw material appendage of the EU, and this will inevitably lead to a further decrease in the standard of living of the population. Sergey Klishevich expressed confidence that over time the situation will change and Moldova will follow a path similar in many respects to Georgia’s current course, that is, it will look for opportunities to establish close contacts, including through bilateral agreements with individual CIS member states.

In addition, at the CIS summit, Alexander Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that the statement of the heads of state on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the formation of the CIS is designed to further rally people around the common historical memory to prevent distortion of the tragic events associated with the Great Patriotic War.

Sergey Klishevich explained why historical memory is so important in the CIS:

- Unity among the CIS member states is observed, relevant resolutions are unanimously adopted. This is the foundation from which we can build on other areas of cooperation. This is the one thing that unites us today. Because if our ancestors together defended the Brest fortress, stood near Mogilev or Moscow, participated together in the battle of Kursk, we simply have no right to betray the memory of these people. They bequeathed us to be friends, to communicate, because they fought for our common homeland. And, of course, today no one dares to attack this memory.

Moreover, before my eyes there is a clear example of Ukraine, said Sergey Klishevich. The Ukrainian authorities, with obvious external influence, made attempts to devalue the history of the Great Patriotic War and the feat of their own heroes who liberated the country and the world from Nazism. Today, this state is actually on the verge of losing its sovereignty, and key decisions are not made independently, but are dictated from the outside. And one of the prerequisites for such a development of events was precisely the neglect of one’s own history, irresponsible attitude to historical memory, the speaker added.

- Therefore, of course, having such an example before our eyes, the post-Soviet states today are united to preserve memory, Klishevich continued. Moreover, there are such beacons as Belarus, Russia, which show an example of preserving and protecting historical memory. At the same time, our enemies are also not asleep and are looking for ways to impose on us an alien narrative, alien heroes, and thus to divide us.

The talk show “Budney” is released on weekdays on the morning air of “Alfa Radio”. Each issue discusses the most relevant topics from the life of the country and the world. Political scientists, scientists, public figures and journalists of leading media participate in the discussions. See the full version of the program on the VIDEOBEL.BY website and on the SBTV YouTube channel.