The CIS Council of Foreign Ministers adopted a Joint Statement on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. The meeting of the Council took place on April 17, 2026, in Moscow.
The first human spaceflight was carried out on April 12, 1961, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
The document:
- emphasizes that this event was a breakthrough of civilizational scale, opening previously unattainable prospects for humanity;
- notes the significant and complementary contribution of the former Soviet Union republics to this historic event;
- stresses that the exploration and use of outer space should be directed for the benefit of all peoples and countries, and should carried out for peaceful purposes based on the norms of international law, including the relevant norms of international space law;
- highlights the dialogue among the CIS member states on a wide range of issues related to the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes;
- reaffirms the intention to further deepen equal cooperation in the field of space exploration and use for peaceful purposes, aimed at launching joint, mutually beneficial, and practically significant initiatives at the international level;
- emphasizes that the historic feat of Yuri Gagarin is a shared heritage of all CIS member states, having laid a solid foundation for the peaceful exploration and use of outer space in the interests of ensuring the sustainable socio-economic development and well-being of the peoples of the Commonwealth states;
The CIS Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs decided to request Turkmenistan, as the country chairing the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2026, to circulate the text of the Joint Statement at the UN and other international organizations.