Presidents of former Soviet republics

Presidents of former Soviet republics pose for photo at the presidential residence of Mariyinskiy palace in Ukrainian capital Kiev Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003. From left : Tajikistan's Emomali Rakhmonov, Georgia's Eduard Shevardnadze, Armenia's Robert Kocharian, Ukraine's Leonid Kuchma, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan's Geidar Aliev, Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko, Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin. The summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the Ukrainian capital was attended by the leaders of only eight of its 12 members. The presidents of four Central Asian nations - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - sent envoys in their stead. Man at right is an unidentified envoy. Photo by Valery Soloviov / UNIAN