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Asked about the prospects of the Common Economic Space, the Russian President expressed confidence that the CES agreement fully meets the interests of the four countries and their peoples. He also noted that the CES documents take into account the economic and political features of the CIS countries.

A return to the USSR is impossible, President Putin said, but it is necessary to use all the positive experience left by previous generations.

The Russian President also noted that at the request of Ukraine the formula “supranational bodies” has been dropped from the text of the agreement and replaced with the words “regulatory bodies”. At the same time, the Russian leader recalled the experience of western European countries which in their time had cast aside their ambitions and national arrogance and did not renounce the creation of supranational structures within the European Economic Community and subsequently the European Union.

He stressed that in Russia, the decision to create the CES was supported by the majority of the population, more than 90% of Russians, according to a very rough estimate.

The summit passed a special document on the problem of settling the Abkhazian issue on the initiative of Georgia. Mr Putin said that Russia, like other CIS countries, supports the initiative, but he expressed regret over the fact that there are many other outstanding issues in the former USSR in addition to the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict.

Commenting on the decision to send the representatives of the CIS as observers to the presidential elections in Chechnya and deputies of the State Duma, President Putin said it would be a very important step for Russia.

The Russian leader also spoke in favour of broader contacts among the CIS countries and the UN in combating the spread of narcotics. He noted that the Assistant UN Secretary General on drug control took part in the Commonwealth summit for the first time. It was the first and very interesting experience of direct dialogue, the Russian President said, reporting that he had personally talked with him about the results of the activities of UN representatives in Afghanistan, their contacts with field commanders and those who grow opium poppies. Russia was interested in expanding such contacts, President Putin said.