YEREVAN - Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan departed for Turkmenistan today on a two-day working visit and will attend the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), hosted in the coastal city of Turkmenbashi.

The summit, taking place in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on October 8–9, is chaired by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov as Turkmenistan holds the 2026 CIS presidency.

Marking the 35th anniversary of the organization, the high-level meeting brings together leaders from across the nine member states to coordinate on regional security, outer space arms race prevention, economic and energy initiatives, and climate change. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also scheduled to attend the proceedings in an expanded format.

Ahead of his departure, Pashinyan noted that while no formal, standalone bilateral meetings have been officially scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin or Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the summit, informal contacts and conversations are expected to take place on the sidelines.