The regular session of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Foreign Ministers has commenced in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a restricted format.

Armenia is represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan, as reported by Interfax.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Murat Nurtleu, welcomed the heads of delegations with a handshake at the opening of the event.

The Russian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Armenia is also set to participate in the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, scheduled to begin on April 16 in St. Petersburg, with the delegation headed by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.