TURKMENBASHI /Turkmenistan/, October 9. /TASS/. Opponents of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) made a strategic miscalculation by betting that the organization would have a short lifespan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, external forces openly sought to manipulate the newly independent states. Unfortunately, this policy continues today. Our organization was vilified in every possible way, with some calling it a geopolitical phantom and a myth. It was expected to survive barely a couple of months, with the very possibility of our republics integrating not even considered," he said at a restricted-format meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, the BelTA news agency reported.

"At this point, I would like to say that our opponents made a strategic error. The reality is actually more complex," Lukashenko stressed.