Disputes cast shadow over CIS meeting

In Minsk, the Commonwealth of Independent States has been holding its summit meeting. The CIS brings together twelve former members of the Soviet Union and notable among Belarus President Alexandar Lukashenko’s guests was his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakachvili – the summit had been postponed for a month because of Georgia’s spying row with Moscow, and it was only after some hesitation that Saakachvili finally decided to attend.

It’s not the only dispute set to cast a shadow over a meeting that observers predict will be frosty. Moldavia and Ukraine have trade clashes with Russia, while even traditionally loyal Belarus has been angered by hefty rises in gas prices imposed by Moscow.

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