CIS Youth Capitals for 2027–2028 Announced at the Ashgabat Summit

Under the chairmanship of Turkmenistan, the next high-level meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held at the modern "Gara Gum" hotel in our capital city, Ashgabat.

Within the framework of the meeting's agenda, special consideration was given to the issue of selecting the "Youth Capital of the CIS", which is an international humanitarian project of the Commonwealth, and a corresponding Decision was adopted. As a result of interstate consultations, new cities that will become leading centers of youth initiatives were determined.

According to the adopted document:

• In 2027 — Minsk city, the capital of the Republic of Belarus;
• In 2028 — Karaganda city of the Republic of Kazakhstan, were declared the youth capitals of the CIS.

This international humanitarian project, which envisions one of the cities of the Commonwealth member countries becoming the center of youth policy and interstate cooperation for a year, was launched for the first time in 2024. Thus, following the cities of Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Gabala (Azerbaijan), and Kapan (Armenia), Minsk and Karaganda cities will continue this ceremonial relay.

The summit, held under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Hojamyrat Geldimyradow, was attended by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev, and the Secretary General of the CIS Sergey Lebedev.