Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not take part in the informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Kremlin has expressed understanding toward his decision. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that year-end schedules for all leaders are typically demanding.

“We fully understand. Indeed, all heads of state have very busy schedules, especially in December as the New Year approaches,” he stated, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

The informal CIS summit is taking place in Saint Petersburg on December 21 and 22.

Earlier, Peskov had announced that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev were expected to attend the gathering of CIS leaders. However, it was later revealed that Aliyev did not travel to Saint Petersburg, with his absence attributed to a packed work schedule.