Russian president Vladimir Putin hosts CIS leaders for annual informal meeting

Russian president Vladimir Putin hosted leaders of ex-soviet republics forming the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for their annual informal meeting.

During the meeting Putin said that Russia, who will be presiding over the Moscow-led union in 2024, will contribute "in a constructive manner" to "maintaining security and stability" in the region.

Armenian Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev attended the meeting for the first time since Baku reclaimed the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after a lightning offensive from Armenian separatists.