Iran's President Pezeshkian Proposes CIS+1 Framework at Turkmenistan Summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Turkmenistan on Friday, emphasizing Iran's potential to strengthen regional economic and connectivity resilience as a strategic route linking Central Asia and Eurasia to open waters. The summit was held at Turkmenistan's Avaza national tourism zone, and Iran was invited with President Pezeshkian heading an Iranian delegation.

In his speech, Pezeshkian stressed the need to counter war, crises, external pressures, and disruptions to economic and transport routes, stating that regional countries' shared interests lie in connecting routes rather than competing with one another. He highlighted Iran's southern ports on the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, particularly Chabahar, as gateways linking Central Asia to South Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Highlighting Iran's geographical, historical, and cultural ties with regional countries, Pezeshkian proposed establishing a "CIS+1" cooperation framework with Iran's participation to expand joint efforts in transit, energy, trade, investment, technology, the environment, tourism, and scientific and cultural exchanges. He stressed the need to connect regional capacities while respecting countries' independence, calling for stronger cooperation, interdependence, and security based on trust and shared interests rather than isolation, destructive competition, and threats.

The summit opened on Friday with a group photo featuring the participating leaders, including the presidents of Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the prime minister of Armenia. According to Mehr News, the event underscored regional efforts to enhance cooperation and connectivity.