Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are discussing the expansion of East-West and North-South transit corridors, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Secretary General Sergey Lebedev said Thursday. The remarks came during a meeting of the Council of Permanent Representatives in Minsk, chaired by Turkmenistan.

Lebedev said Turkmenistan’s geographic location makes economic issues, including transit corridor development, a priority. He also highlighted energy, noting Turkmenistan’s role as a major oil and gas supplier and the importance of reliable deliveries.

Turkmenistan’s ambassador to Belarus, Nazarguly Shagulyyev, said the chairmanship reflects the country’s foreign policy of permanent neutrality, good-neighborliness and equal partnership.

As part of its chairmanship, Turkmenistan will host a summit of CIS heads of state on Oct. 9, 2026, in Avaza on the Caspian coast.