The leaders of the CIS states

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, left, smiles to his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian, right, while Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma, center, listens, as leaders of former Soviet republics gathered for a summit, in the presidential residence of Mariyinskiy palace in Kiev Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003. Background 1st right is Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin speaking to his Belarus' counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. 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. Photo by Valery Solovyov / UNIAN