Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said in Kazan Saturday his country was not preparing to pull out of the 12-nation Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Speaking at a news conference one day after a summit of leaders from the CIS in Kazan, capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, Saakashvili said Georgia was not intending to leave the CIS although the block has its problems.

The Georgian president stressed that his recent remarks with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko were not intended as a "democratic test for any nation."

Earlier this month, Saakashvili and Yushchenko called for a new regional alliance to champion democracy in the former Soviet States.

"We have not created any sort of democratic test for any nation," the Georgian president said.

"This is a declaration of two leaders of friendly, democratic nations who are trying to build open societies of a European style," he said.

The Kazan summit approved a package of documents, including the concept of a joint border policy, a protocol on border cooperation, measures against illegal migration for 2006-2008, steps to crack down on terrorism and extremism for 2005-2007, as well as a decision to reform the CIS body -- a priority item on the summit agenda.

Source: Xinhua