On 22 May 2026, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev, who arrived in Ashgabat to attend the Council of Heads of Government meeting, the TDH news agency reports.
During the talks, Lebedev highly commended Turkmenistan’s contribution to fostering multilateral dialogue across the Commonwealth. In turn, the Head of State reaffirmed that strengthening partnerships within the CIS—particularly in logistics and humanitarian cooperation—remains a key priority of the country’s foreign policy.
President Berdimuhamedov emphasized that Turkmenistan takes a highly responsible approach to its role as the CIS Chair. This is demonstrated by the successful implementation of the country’s 2026 CIS Chairmanship Concept, which includes hosting a wide range of major events.
The sides focused on preparations for the upcoming CIS Heads of State Summit, which Turkmenistan will host on 9 October 2026 on the Caspian coast. President Berdimuhamedov stressed that the summit would be the year’s landmark event for the Commonwealth, providing a powerful new impetus to regional cooperation.
In closing, the President of Turkmenistan thanked the CIS Executive Committee and Sergey Lebedev personally for their efficiency in organizing joint work./// nCa, 23 May 2026 (based on TDH materials)