CIS info

1. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 1/14
Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS)
Содружество Независимых
Государств (СНГ)
Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv (SNG)
Flag Emblem
Administrative center Minsk
Largest city Moscow
Working language Russian
Membership
Government Commonwealth
­ Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev
­ Presidency Belarus
Establishment 8 December 1991
­ Collective Security
Treaty Organisation
15 May 1992
­ Free trade agreement
(CISFTA) signed
1994[1]
­ CISFTA established End of 2010[2]
Area
­ Total 22,100,843 km2
8,533,183 sq mi
Commonwealth of Independent States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS;
Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств,
СНГ, tr. Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv,
SNG; also called the Russian Commonwealth)[3] is a
regional organisation whose participating countries
are former Soviet Republics, formed during the
breakup of the Soviet Union.
The CIS is a loose association of states. Although the
CIS has few supranational powers, it is aimed at being
more than a purely symbolic organisation, nominally
possessing coordinating powers in the realm of trade,
finance, lawmaking, and security. It has also
promoted cooperation on cross­border crime
prevention. However, eight of the nine CIS members
states form the CIS Free Trade Area, and five of these
form the Eurasian Economic Union, a customs union
and common market of over 180 million people. In
addition, six member states participate in a mutual
defence alliance: the Collective Security Treaty
Organization.
Contents
1 History
2 Membership
2.1 Participating states
2.2 Associate states
2.3 Former member states
3 Leadership
3.1 Executive Secretaries
4 Human rights
5 Military structures
6 Associated organisations
6.1 Free trade area (CISFTA)
6.1.1 1994
6.1.2 2011
6.2 Eurasian Economic Community
6.3 Organisation of Central Asian
Cooperation
6.4 Common Economic Space
6.5 Collective Security Treaty
Organization
7 Other activities
7.1 Controversial election observation
mission
7.2 Interparliamentary Assembly
9 members
1 participant

2. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 2/14
Population
­ 2008 estimate 276,917,629
­ Density 12.53/km2
32.5/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
­ Total $2,906.944 billion
­ Per capita $10,498
GDP (nominal) 2013 estimate
­ Total $2,808.844 billion
­ Per capita $10,113
Currency
Time zone (UTC+2 to +12)
Website
http://www.cis.minsk.by/
7.2 Interparliamentary Assembly
7.3 Russian language status
7.4 Sports events
8 Economic data
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 External links
History
The organization was founded on 8 December 1991
by the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation,
and Ukraine, when the leaders of the three countries
met in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Natural Reserve,
about 50 km (31 mi) north of Brest in Belarus and
signed the "Agreement Establishing the
Commonwealth of Independent States", known as the
Creation Agreement (Russian: Соглашение,
Soglasheniye), on the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation of CIS as a successor entity to
it.[3] At the same time they announced that the new alliance would be open to all republics of the former
Soviet Union, and to other nations sharing the same goals. The CIS charter stated that all the members
were sovereign and independent nations and thereby effectively abolished the Soviet Union.
On 21 December 1991, the leaders of eight additional former Soviet Republics – Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – signed the Alma­Ata
Protocol expanding the CIS to these states, thus bringing the number of participating countries to 11.[4]
Georgia joined two years later, in December 1993.[5] At this point, 12 former Soviet Republics (all
except the Baltic States) participated in the CIS.
Between 2003 and 2005, three CIS member states experienced a change of government in a series of
colour revolutions: Eduard Shevardnadze was overthrown in Georgia; Viktor Yushchenko was elected in
Ukraine; and Askar Akayev was toppled in Kyrgyzstan. In February 2006, Georgia withdrew from the
Council of Defense Ministers, with the statement that "Georgia has taken a course to join NATO and it
cannot be part of two military structures simultaneously",[6][7] but it remained a full member of the CIS
until August 2009, one year after officially withdrawing in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 South
Ossetia war. In March 2007, Igor Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, expressed his
doubts concerning the usefulness of the CIS, emphasising that the Eurasian Economic Community was
becoming a more competent organisation to unify the largest countries of the CIS.[8] Following the
withdrawal of Georgia, the presidents of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan skipped the October
2009 meeting of the CIS, each having their own issues and disagreements with the Russian Federation.[9]
In May 2009, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine joined the Eastern
Partnership, a project which was initiated by the European Union (EU).
Membership
There are nine full member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Ratified
Non­ratified

3. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 3/14
The Creation Agreement remained the main constituent document of the CIS until January 1993, when
the CIS Charter (Russian: Устав, Ustav) was adopted.[10] The charter formalised the concept of
membership: a member country is defined as a country that ratifies the CIS Charter (sec. 2, art. 7).
Turkmenistan has not ratified the charter and changed its CIS standing to associate member as of 26
August 2005 in order to be consistent with its UN­recognised international neutrality status.[11][12]
Although Ukraine was one of the founding countries and ratified the Creation Agreement in December
1991, Ukraine chose not to ratify the CIS Charter[13][14] as it disagrees with Russia being the only legal
successor to the Soviet Union. Thus it does not regard itself as a member of the CIS.[5][15] In 1993
Ukraine became an "Associate Member" of CIS.[16] On March 14, 2014, a bill was introduced to
Ukraine's parliament to denounce their ratification of the 1991 Agreement Establishing the CIS,
following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea, but was never
approved.[17][18][19] Following a parliamentary election, a new bill to denounce the CIS agreement was
introduced.[20][21]
In light of Russia’s occupation of parts of Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine,[22][23][24] as well as its
violation of the Istanbul Agreement (see Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty),
legislative initiatives to denounce the agreement on the creation of CIS were tabled in Moldova's
parliament on 25 March 2014, though they were not approved.[25][26][27]
Country[28] Agreement/protocol
ratified
Charter ratified Membership status
Armenia 18 February 1992 16 March 1994 Member state
Azerbaijan 24 September 1993 24 September 1993 Member state
Belarus 10 December 1991 18 January 1994 Member state
Kazakhstan 23 December 1991 20 April 1994 Member state
Kyrgyzstan 6 March 1992 12 April 1994 Member state
Moldova 8 April 1994 15 April 1994 Member state
Russia 12 December 1991 20 July 1993 Member state
Tajikistan 26 June 1993 4 August 1993 Member state
Uzbekistan 4 January 1992 9 February 1994 Member state
Participating states
Country
Agreement/protocol
ratified
Charter
ratified
Membership status
Ukraine 10 December 1991 Not ratified
Founding state; participates but not
official member
Associate states

4. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 4/14
Meeting of CIS leaders in Bishkek, 2008.
Country
Agreement/protocol
ratified
Charter
ratified
Membership status
Turkmenistan
26 December 1991 Not ratified
Founding state and unofficial
associate state
Former member states
Country
Agreement/protocol
ratified
Charter
ratified
Withdrawn Effective
Georgia 3 December 1993 19 April 1994 18 August 2008 18 August 2009
Leadership
Executive Secretaries
Name Country Term
Ivan
Korotchenya Belarus
26 December 1991 – 29
April 1998
Boris
Berezovsky Russia
29 April 1998 – 4 March
1999
Ivan
Korotchenya Belarus
4 March – 2 April 1999
Yury Yarov
Russia
2 April 1999 – 14 June
2004
Vladimir
Rushailo Russia
14 June 2004 – 5 October
2007
Sergei
Lebedev Russia
5 October 2007 –
Incumbent
Human rights
Since its inception, one of the primary goals of the CIS has been to provide a forum for discussing issues
related to the social and economic development of the newly independent states. To achieve this goal
member states have agreed to promote and protect human rights. Initially efforts to achieve this goal
consisted merely of statements of good will, but on 26 May 1995, the CIS adopted a Commonwealth of
Independent States Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.[29]
Even before the 1995 human rights treaty, the Charter of the CIS that was adopted in 1991 created, in
article 33, a Human Rights Commission sitting in Minsk, Belarus. This was confirmed by decision of the
Council of Heads of States of the CIS in 1993. In 1995, the CIS adopted a human rights treaty that
includes civil and political as well as social and economic human rights. This treaty entered into force in
1998. The CIS treaty is modeled on the European Convention on Human Rights, but lacking the strong
implementation mechanisms of the latter. In the CIS treaty, the Human Rights Commission has very
vaguely defined authority. The Statute of the Human Rights Commission, however, also adopted by the
CIS Member States as a decision, gives the Commission the right to receive inter­state as well as
individual communications.

5. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 5/14
CIS members, especially in Central Asia, continue to have among the world's poorest human rights
records. Many activists point to the 2005 Andijan massacre in Uzbekistan, or the cult of personality
around President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan (though not a CIS member), to show
that there has been almost no improvement in human rights since the collapse of the Soviet Union in
Central Asia. The consolidation of power by President Vladimir Putin has resulted in a steady decline in
the modest progress of previous years in Russia. The Commonwealth of Independent States continues to
face serious challenges in meeting even basic international standards.[30]
Military structures
The CIS Charter establishes the Council of Ministers of Defense, which is vested with the task of
coordinating military cooperation of the CIS member states. To this end, the Council develops
conceptual approaches to the questions of military and defense policy of the CIS member states;
develops proposals aimed to prevent armed conflicts on the territory of the member states or with their
participation; gives expert opinions on draft treaties and agreements related to the questions of defense
and military developments; issues related suggestions and proposals to the attention of the CIS Council
of the Heads of State. Also important is the Council's work on approximation of the legal acts in the area
of defense and military development.
An important manifestation of integration processes in the area of military and defense collaboration of
the CIS member states is the creation, in 1995, of the joint CIS Air Defense System. Over the years, the
military personnel of the joint CIS Air Defense System grew twofold along the western, European
border of the CIS, and by 1.5 times, on its southern borders.[31]
When Boris Yeltsin became Russian Defence Minister on 7 May 1992, Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, the man
appointed as Commander­in­Chief of the CIS Armed Forces, and his staff, were ejected from the MOD
and General Staff buildings and given offices in the former Warsaw Pact Headquarters at 41
Leningradsky Prospekt[32] on the northern outskirts of Moscow.[33] Shaposhnikov resigned in June 1993.
In December 1993, the CIS Armed Forces Headquarters was abolished.[34] Instead, 'the CIS Council of
Defence Ministers created a CIS Military Cooperation Coordination Headquarters (MCCH) in Moscow,
with 50 per cent of the funding provided by Russia.'[35] General Viktor Samsonov was appointed as
Chief of Staff. The headquarters has now moved to 101000, Москва, Сверчков переулок, 3/2, and 41
Leningradsky Prospekt has now been taken over by another Russian MOD agency.
The chiefs of the CIS general staffs have spoken in favor of integrating their national armed forces.[36]
Associated organisations
Free trade area (CISFTA)
1994
In 1994, the CIS countries "agreed" to create a free trade area (FTA), but the agreements were never
signed. The 1994 agreement would have covered all twelve then CIS members except Turkmenistan.[37]
2011

6. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 6/14
v • d • e (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Supranational_PostSoviet_Bodies&action=edit)
Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational organisations in
the territory of the former Soviet Union
In 2009 a new agreement was begun to create a FTA, the CISFTA.[38] In October 2011, the new free
trade agreement was signed by eight of the eleven CIS prime ministers; Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine at a meeting in St. Petersburg. As of 2013, it has
been ratified by Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Armenia, and is in force only between those
states.[39]
The free trade agreement eliminates export and import duties on a number of goods but also contains a
number of exemptions that will ultimately be phased out.[40] An agreement was also signed on the basic
principles of currency regulation and currency controls in the CIS at the same October 2011 meeting.[41]
Corruption and
bureaucracy are
serious problems for
trade in CIS
countries.[42]
Eurasian
Economic
Community
The Eurasian
Economic
Community
(EurAsEC or EAEC)
originated from a
customs union
between Belarus,
Russia and
Kazakhstan on 29
March 1996.[43] It
was named the
EAEC on 10 October
2000[44] when
Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
and Tajikistan signed
the treaty. EurAsEC
was formally created
when the treaty was finally ratified by all five member states in May 2001. Armenia, Moldova and
Ukraine hold observer status. EurAsEC is working on establishing a common energy market and
exploring the more efficient use of water in central Asia.
Organisation of Central Asian Cooperation
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan formed the OCAC in 1991 as Central
Asian Commonwealth (CAC). The organisation continued in 1994 as the Central Asian Economic Union
(CAEU), in which Tajikistan and Turkmenistan did not participate. In 1998 it became the Central Asian
Economic Cooperation (CAEC), which marked the return of Tajikistan. On 28 February 2002 it was
renamed to its current name. Russia joined on 28 May 2004.[45] On 7 October 2005 it was decided

7. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 7/14
CSTO logo.
between the member states that Uzbekistan will join[46] the Eurasian Economic Community and that the
organisations will merge.[47] The organisations joined on 25 January 2006. It is not clear what will
happen to the status of current CACO observers that are not observers to EurAsEC (Georgia and
Turkey).
Common Economic Space
After discussion about the creation of a common economic space between the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) countries of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, agreement in principle
about the creation of this space was announced after a meeting in the Moscow suburb of Novo­Ogarevo
on 23 February 2003. The Common Economic Space would involve a supranational commission on
trade and tariffs that would be based in Kiev, would initially be headed by a representative of
Kazakhstan, and would not be subordinate to the governments of the four nations. The ultimate goal
would be a regional organisation that would be open for other countries to join as well, and could
eventually lead even to a single currency.
On 22 May 2003, the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) voted 266 votes in favour and 51
against the joint economic space. However, most believe that Viktor Yushchenko's victory in the
Ukrainian presidential election of 2004 was a significant blow against the project: Yushchenko has
shown renewed interest in Ukrainian membership in the European Union and such membership would
be incompatible with the envisioned common economic space. Yushchenko's successor Viktor
Yanukovych stated on 27 April 2010 "Ukraine's entry into the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and
Kazakhstan is not possible today, since the economic principles and the laws of the WTO do not allow
it, we develop our policy in accordance with WTO principles".[48] Ukraine is a WTO member.[48]
A Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia was thus created in 2010,[49] with a single market
envisioned for 2012.[50]
Collective Security Treaty Organization
The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) (Russian:
Организация Договора о Коллективной Безопасности) or simply the
Tashkent Treaty (Russian: Ташкентский договор) first began as the
CIS Collective Security Treaty[51] which was signed on 15 May 1992,
by Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan, in the city of Tashkent. Azerbaijan signed the treaty on
24 September 1993, Georgia on 9 December 1993 and Belarus on 31
December 1993. The treaty came into effect on 20 April 1994.
The CST was set to last for a 5­year period unless extended. On 2 April
1999, only six members of the CSTO signed a protocol renewing the
treaty for another five­year period, while Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Uzbekistan refused to sign, and withdrew from the treaty instead;
together with Moldova and Ukraine, formed a non­aligned, more pro­Western pro­US group known as
the "GUAM" (Georgia, Uzbekistan / Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova). The organisation was named
CSTO on 7 October 2002 in Tashkent. Nikolai Bordyuzha was appointed secretary general of the new
organisation. During 2005, the CSTO partners conducted some common military exercises. In 2005,
Uzbekistan withdrew from GUAM, and on 23 June 2006, Uzbekistan became a full participant in the
CSTO and its membership was formally ratified by its parliament on 28 March 2008.[52] The CSTO is
an observer organisation at the United Nations General Assembly.

8. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 8/14
CSTO members
GUAM members
Other CIS members
The charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force.
Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states, while aggression
against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all. To this end, the CSTO holds
yearly military command exercises for the CSTO nations to have an opportunity to improve inter­
organisation cooperation. The largest­scale CSTO military exercise held to date were the "Rubezh 2008"
exercises hosted in Armenia where a combined total of 4,000 troops from all 7 constituent CSTO
member countries conducted operative, strategic, and tactical training with an emphasis towards
furthering efficiency of the collective security
element of the CSTO partnership.[53]
In May 2007, the CSTO secretary­general Nikolai
Bordyuzha suggested Iran could join the CSTO
saying, "The CSTO is an open organisation. If Iran
applies in accordance with our charter, we will
consider the application."[54] If Iran joined, it would
be the first state outside the former Soviet Union to
become a member of the organisation.
On 6 October 2007, CSTO members agreed to a
major expansion of the organisation which would
create a CSTO peacekeeping force that could deploy
under a UN mandate or without one in its member
states. The expansion would also allow all members
to purchase Russian weapons at the same price as
Russia.[55] CSTO signed an agreement with the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, to broaden cooperation on
issues such as security, crime, and drug trafficking.[56]
On 29 August 2008, Russia announced it would seek CSTO recognition of the independence of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, three days after Russia officially recognised both.[57] On 5 September
2008, Armenia assumed the rotating CSTO presidency during a CSTO meeting in Moscow, Russia.[58]
In October 2009, Ukraine refused permission for the CIS Anti­Terrorist Center to hold anti­terrorist
exercises on its territory because Ukraine's constitution bans foreign military units from operating on its
territory.[59]
The largest military exercises ever held by the CSTO, involving up to 12,000 troops, were conducted
between 19 and 27 September 2011 to raise preparedness and co­ordination in anti­destabilization
techniques, to counter any attempts at popular uprisings like the Arab Spring.[60]
Other activities
Controversial election observation mission
The CIS Election Monitoring Organisation (Russian: Миссия наблюдателей от СНГ на выборах) is an
election monitoring body that was formed in October 2002, following a Commonwealth of Independent
States heads of states meeting which adopted the Convention on the Standards of Democratic Elections,

9. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 9/14
Electoral Rights, and Freedoms in the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The
CIS­EMO has been sending election observers to member countries of the CIS since this time; they
approved many elections which have been heavily criticised by independent observers.[61]
The democratic nature of the final round of the Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 which
followed the Orange Revolution and brought into power the former opposition, was questioned by
the CIS while the Organisation for Security and Co­operation in Europe (OSCE) found no
significant problems. This was the first time ever that the CIS observation teams challenged the
validity of an election, saying that it should be considered illegitimate. On 15 March 2005, the
Ukrainian Independent Information Agency quoted Dmytro Svystkov (a spokesman of the
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry) that Ukraine has suspended its participation in the CIS election
monitoring organisation.
The CIS praised the Uzbekistan parliamentary elections, 2005 as "legitimate, free and transparent"
while the OSCE had referred to the Uzbek elections as having fallen "significantly short of OSCE
commitments and other international standards for democratic elections".[62][63]
Moldovan authorities refused to invite CIS observers in the Moldovan parliamentary elections,
2005, an action Russia criticised. Many dozens such observers from Belarus and Russia were
stopped from reaching Moldova.[64]
CIS observers monitored the Tajikistan parliamentary elections, 2005 and in the end declared
them "legal, free and transparent." The same elections were pronounced by the OSCE to have
failed international standards for democratic elections.
Soon after CIS observers hailed the Kyrgyz parliamentary elections of 2005 as "well­organised,
free, and fair", as large­scale and often violent demonstrations broke out throughout the country
protesting what the opposition called a rigged parliamentary election. In contrast the OSCE
reported that the elections fell short of international standards in many areas.[65]
International observers of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly stated the 2010 local elections in
Ukraine were organised well.[66] While the Council of Europe uncovered a number of problems in
relation to a new electorate law approved just prior to the elections[66] and the Obama
administration criticised the conduct of the elections, saying they "did not meet standards for
openness and fairness".[67][68]
Interparliamentary Assembly
The CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, established in March 1995, is a consultative parliamentary wing
of the CIS created to discuss problems of parliamentary cooperation.[69] The Assembly held its 32nd
Plenary meeting in Saint Petersburg on 14 May 2009. Ukraine participates, but Uzbekistan does not.[70]
Russian language status
Russia has been urging that the Russian language receives official status in all of the CIS member states.
So far Russian is an official language in only four of these states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and
Kyrgyzstan. Russian is also considered an official language in the region of Transnistria, and the
autonomous region of Gagauzia in Moldova. Viktor Yanukovych, the Moscow­supported presidential
candidate in the controversial 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, declared his intention to make
Russian an official second language of Ukraine. However, Viktor Yushchenko, the winner, did not do
so. After his early 2010 election as President Yanukovych stated (on 9 March 2010) that "Ukraine will
continue to promote the Ukrainian language as its only state language".[71]
Sports events

10. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 10/14
At the time of the Soviet Union's dissolution in December 1991, its sports teams had been invited to or
qualified for various 1992 sports events. A joint CIS team took its place in some of these. The "Unified
Team" competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics and 1992 Summer Olympics, and a CIS association
football team competed in UEFA Euro 1992. A CIS bandy team played some friendlies in January 1992
and made its last appearance at the 1992 Russian Government Cup, where it also played against the new
Russia national bandy team. The Soviet Union bandy championship for 1991–1992 was rebranded as a
CIS championship.
Since then, CIS members have each competed separately in international sport.
Economic data
The data is taken from the United Nations Statistics Division
(http://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/selectionbasicFast.asp)& CIA [4]
(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the­world­factbook/fields/2195.html)
Country
Population
(2015)
GDP 2007
(USD)
GDP 2012
(USD)
GDP
growth
(2012)
GDP
per
capita
(2007)
GDP
per
capita
(2012)
Belarus 9,475,100 45,275,738,770 58,215,000,000 4.3% 4,656 6,710
Kazakhstan 17,417,447 104,849,915,344 196,642,000,000 5.2% 6,805 11,700
Kyrgyzstan 5,776,500 3,802,570,572 6,197,000,000 0.8% 711 1,100
Russia 146,270,033 1,294,381,844,081 2,022,000,000,000 3.4% 9,119 14,240
Tajikistan 8,610,000 2,265,340,888 7,263,000,000 2.1% 337 900
Uzbekistan 29,994,600 22,355,214,805 51,622,000,000 4.1% 831 1,800
Azerbaijan 9,356,100 33,049,426,816 71,043,000,000 3.8% 3,829 7,500
Georgia 4,490,000 10,172,920,422 15,803,000,000 5.0% 2,334 3,400
Moldova 3,558,200 4,401,137,824 7,589,000,000 4.4% 1,200 2,100
Ukraine 42,818,000 142,719,009,901 175,174,000,000 0.2% 3,083 3,870
Armenia 3,022,000 9,204,496,419 10,551,000,000 2.1% 2,996 3,500
Turkmenistan 5,084,000 7,940,143,236 33,466,000,000 6.9% 1,595 6,100
See also
Regional organisations in post­Soviet states
Eurasian Economic Union
Notes
1. ^ The Commonwealth of Independent States and the Commonwealth of Nations are also called
the "Russian Commonwealth" and the "British Commonwealth" respectively to differentiate
between them.[72]
References

11. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 11/14
1. "Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Agreement"
(http://www.unescap.org/tid/aptiad/viewagreement.aspx?id=CISFTA). Unescap.org. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
2. "Russia expects CIS countries to create free trade zone by yearend | Ex­Soviet States | RIA Novosti"
(http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100617/159463469.html). En.rian.ru. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 27 December
2011.
3. Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS (http://www.therussiasite.org/legal/laws/CISagreement.html): 3
founding countries, 8 December 1991 (unofficial English translation). Russian text here [1]
(http://www.cis.minsk.by/main.aspx?uid=176)
4. Alma­Ata Declaration (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/belarus/by_appnc.html): 11 countries accede to the CIS, 21
December 1991 (English translation). Russian text here [2] (http://www.cis.minsk.by/main.aspx?uid=178)
5. Ratification status of CIS documents as of 15 January 2008 (http://cis.minsk.by/sm.aspx?uid=11368)
(Russian)
6. 03.02.2006 (11 September 2001). "Georgia opts out of ex­Soviet military cooperation body"
(http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/03­02­2006/75406­georgia­0). Pravda.Ru. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
7. "RIA Novosti ­ World ­ Georgia's quitting CIS council will not affect security ­ Russian minister"
(http://en.rian.ru/world/20060203/43324440.html). En.rian.ru. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
8. Russia questions further existence of the CIS post­soviet organisation (http://www.infoniac.com/news/russia­
nato.html) InfoNIAC
9. Pannier, Bruce. "Russia Facing Resistance With Allies On CIS's Southern Flank"
(http://www.rferl.org/content/Russia_Facing_Resistance_With_Allies_On_CISs_Southern_Flank/1847880.ht
ml). Rferl.org. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
10. CIS Charter (http://www.therussiasite.org/legal/laws/CIScharter.html), 22 January 1993 (unofficial English
translation). Russian text here (https://web.archive.org/web/20060723002729/http://cis.minsk.by/main.aspx?
uid=180)
11. Decision on Turkmenistan's associate membership (http://www.cis.minsk.by/main.aspx?uid=4018), CIS
Executive Committee meeting in Kazan, Russia, 26 August 2005 (Russian).
12. Turkmenistan reduces CIS ties to "Associate Member" (http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1061002.html),
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 29 August 2005.
13. Conflict in the Former USSR (http://books.google.com/books?id=O­
v2Uhprr7cC&pg=PA44&dq=Ukraine+did+not+choose+to+ratify+the+CIS+Charter&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=PLSgU
qm1McGR1AX16IGwAw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Ukraine%20did%20not%20choose%20to
%20ratify%20the%20CIS%20Charter&f=false). Retrieved 25 September 2014.
14. Russia and Nis Mineral Industry Handbook (http://books.google.com/books?
id=to6U__f00b8C&pg=PA16&dq=Ukraine+founding+countries+CIS&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=07SgUvqLIIHJ0AW
o2oCwBQ&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Ukraine%20founding%20countries%20CIS&f=false).
Retrieved 25 September 2014.
15. September 2008 Statement by Foreign Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko
(http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news­268085.html), “Ukraine does not recognise the legal personality of this
organisation, we are not members of the CIS Economic Court, we did not ratify the CIS Statute, thus, we
cannot be considered a member of this organisation from international legal point of view. Ukraine is a
country­participant, but not a member country”
16. Economic Interdependence in Ukrainian­Russian Relations (http://books.google.com/books?
id=0IMaWuaYRnQC&pg=PA142&dq=CIS+Ukraine+membership&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=urWgUtGoNMLD0QW
cwoGgAg&ved=0CHUQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=CIS%20Ukraine%20membership&f=false). Retrieved
25 September 2014.
17. "Bill introduced to withdraw Ukraine from CIS" (http://www.kyivpost.com/content/politics/bill­introduced­to­
withdraw­ukraine­from­cis­339433.html). Kyiv Post. 2014­03­15. Retrieved 2014­03­27.
18. "Результати пошуку законопроектiв, зареєстрованих Верховною Радою України"
(http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/zweb2/webproc2_5_1_J?
ses=10008&num_s=2&num=0074&date1=&date2=&name_zp=&out_type=&id=). Retrieved 25 September
2014.
19. "Draft documents on Ukraine’s withdrawal from CIS submitted to Verkhovna Rada" (http://en.itar­
tass.com/world/733566). Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 2014­05­27. Retrieved 2014­06­21.
20. "Проект Постанови про припинення членства та участі України в органах Співдружності Незалежних
Держав" (http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/zweb2/webproc4_1?pf3511=52424). Verkhovna Rada. Retrieved
2014­11­30.
21. "Проект Закону про зупинення дії Угоди про створення Співдружності Незалежних Держав"

12. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 12/14
21. "Проект Закону про зупинення дії Угоди про створення Співдружності Незалежних Держав"
(http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/zweb2/webproc4_1?pf3511=52644). Verkhovna Rada. Retrieved 2014­11­30.
22. Buckley, Neil (2014­11­25). "Georgia calls on west to condemn Abkhazia treaty with Russia"
(http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0898a824­74a6­11e4­b30b­00144feabdc0.html#axzz3ZeRLwHMN).
Financial Times. Retrieved 2015­05­09.
23. Rettman, Andrew (2015­05­07). "Donbas: A new 'black hole' in Europe"
(https://euobserver.com/foreign/128618). Retrieved 2015­05­09.
24. "Russia Erecting Monument to 'Little Green Men' Who Took Over Crimea"
(http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia­erecting­monument­to­little­green­men­who­took­over­
crimea/519768.html). Moscow Times. 2015­04­26. Retrieved 2015­05­09.
25. In Moldova propose to denounce the agreement on creation of CIS
(http://www.ukrinform.ua/rus/news/v_moldove_predlagayut_denonsirovat_soglashenie_o_sozdanii_sng_16169
22). Ukrinform. 25 March 2014
26. "Proiectul hotărîrii cu privire la denunțarea Acordului de constituire a Comunității Statelor Independente"
(http://www.parlament.md/ProcesulLegislativ/Proiectedeactelegislative/tabid/61/LegislativId/2227/language/ro
­RO/Default.aspx). Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. Retrieved 2014­11­04.
27. "Proiectul legii cu privire la denunțarea Acordului de constituire a Comunității Statelor Independente nr.40­
XII din 08.04.1994"
(http://www.parlament.md/ProcesulLegislativ/Proiectedeactelegislative/tabid/61/LegislativId/2230/language/ro
­RO/Default.aspx). Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. Retrieved 2014­11­04.
28. "Сведения о ратификации документов, принятых в рамках СНГ в 1991 ­ 2014 годах"
(http://cis.minsk.by/reestr/ru/index.html#reports/rat/sved). Commonwealth of Independent States. Retrieved
2014­10­10.
29. "Commonwealth of Independent States Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms"
(http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,MULTILATERALTREATY,CIS,RUS,49997ae32c,0.html). 1995.
Retrieved 24 March 2013.
30. "Democracy Deficit Grows in Former Soviet Union" (http://www.freedomhouse.org/article/democracy­deficit­
grows­former­soviet­union) 2011. date retrieved 12 February 2014
31. "Информация о Совете министров обороны государств – участников Содружества Независимых
Государств" (http://www.cis.minsk.by/page.php?id=200). Cis.minsk.by. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
32. Johnson's Russia List #2142 (http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/2142.html), 9 April 1998
33. Odom, The Collapse of the Soviet Military, p.385­86
34. Interfax, 22 December 1993, via Zbigniew Brzezinski, Paige Sullivan, 'Russia and the Commonwealth of
Independent States' CSIS, 1997, p.464 via Google Books
35. SIPRI 1998 Annual, p.18
36. "CIS chiefs of staff want military integration." (http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20101203/161615698.html) RIA
Novosti, 3 December 2010.
37. "Free Trade Agreement Between Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, The Russian
Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan And The Kyrgyz Republic"
(http://www.worldtradelaw.net/fta/agreements/cisfta.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 23 July 2013.
38. Russia expects the CIS countries to create a free trade zone by yearend
(http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100617/159463469.html), 2010­06­17
39. CIS Free Trade Agreement comes into force; Baker & McKenzi, Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, 18 October 2012
(http://www.usubc.org/site/member­news/cis­free­trade­agreement­comes­into­force), 2011­10­18
40. CIS leaders sign free trade deal (http://en.rian.ru/russia/20111018/167833875.html), 2011­10­19
41. Most CIS states sign free trade zone agreement (http://en.rian.ru/business/20111019/167852994.html), 2011­
10­19
42. "Petro Jacyk Program ­ Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Toronto"
(http://www.utoronto.ca/jacyk/files/KuzioCorruptionCIS.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 25 September 2014.
43. WTO WT/REG71/1 (http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/WT/ACC/KGZ30.DOC)
44. "Foundation Agreement Of Eaec Agreement On Foundation Of Eurasian Economic Community"
(http://www.worldtradelaw.net/fta/agreements/eaecfta.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 23 July 2013.
45. "Central Asian Cooperation Organisation"
(http://ecetrade.typepad.com/Central%20Asian%20Cooperation%20Organization%20basic%20info.doc).
Retrieved 23 July 2013.
46. "Working group discusses Uzbekistan's accession to EurAsEC"
(http://en.rian.ru/russia/20051110/42053167.html). En.rian.ru. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
47. "Collective Security: A Timeline" (http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/collective­security­organization­
timeline/). Centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.

13. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 13/14
timeline/). Centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
48. Yanukovych: Ukraine won't join Customs Union (http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/65139/), Kyiv
Post (27 April 2010)
49. "Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus plan on common economic space"
(http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20081225170003.shtml). Rbcnews.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
50. "Russia expects CIS countries to create free trade area" (http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100617/159463469.html).
En.rian.ru. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
51. The Charter of the CSTO (http://untreaty.un.org/unts/144078_158780/5/9/13289.pdf)
52. "Евразийский дом ­ информационно­аналитический портал" (http://www.eurasianhome.org).
Eurasianhome.org. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
53. “Rubezh 2008”: The First Large­Scale CSTO Military Exercise | PfP Information Management System
(PIMS) (http://www.pims.org/news/2008/08/06/rubezh­2008­the­first­large­scale­csto­military­exercise)
54. Chossudovsky, Michel. "Iran invited to join Central Security Treaty Organisation"
(http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5696). Globalresearch.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
55. "Gendarme of Eurasia ­ Kommersant Moscow"
(http://www.kommersant.com/p812422/CIS_CSTO_Russia_Lebedev/). Kommersant.com. Retrieved 23 July
2013.
56. "Leading News Resource of Pakistan" (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?
page=2007%5C10%5C06%5Cstory_6­10­2007_pg4_3). Daily Times. 6 October 2007. Retrieved 23 July
2013.
57. Halpin, Tony (30 August 2008). "Kremlin announces that South Ossetia will join one united Russian state"
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4635843.ece). The Times (London). Retrieved
30 April 2010.
58. "Armenian News ­ PanARMENIAN.Net | Armenian News Agency ­ CSTO Security Councils Secretaries
meet in Yerevan" (http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=26902). Panarmenian.Net. 3 September 2008.
Retrieved 23 July 2013.
59. Ukraine refuses to hold CIS anti­terrorist drills on its territory
(http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/51441/), Kyiv Post (29 October 2009)
60. Central Asian armies start exercises to counter potential Arab Spring­style unrest
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tajikistan/8777123/Central­Asian­armies­start­exercises­to­
counter­potential­Arab­Spring­style­unrest.html), The Daily Telegraph (20 September 2011)
61. "Election fraud: How to steal an election" (http://www.economist.com/node/21548933). The Economist. 3
March 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
62. "Foreign observers differ in their evaluation of the election in Uzbekistan"
(http://enews.ferghana.ru/detail.php?id=85538093500.83,282,17595509). Enews.ferghana.ru. Retrieved
23 July 2013.
63. Alexander Yakovenko, the Spokesman of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Answers a Russian Media
Question Regarding International Observers' Conclusions on Election Results in Ukraine and Uzbekistan
(http://www.ln.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/0/030111d3b474a94cc3256f790042f6f9?OpenDocument)
64. CIS Observers Outraged by Deportation of Colleagues (http://www.azi.md/news?ID=33324)
65. Kupchinsky, Roman. "CIS: Monitoring The Election Monitors"
(http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/04/e791916d­4690­4835­9f2d­d230541270e6.html). Rferl.org.
Retrieved 23 July 2013.
66. EU will not condemn the local elections in Ukraine (http://razumkov.org.ua/eng/expert.php?news_id=2417),
Razumkov Centre (3 November 2010)
67. Interview: Top U.S. Diplomat Discusses Regional Developments, Abuses, Stalemates, And Cooperation
(http://www.rferl.org/content/Interview_Top_US_Diplomat_Discusses_Regional_Developments_Abuses_Stale
mates_And_Cooperation/2211838.html), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (5 November 2010)
68. Ukraine's Ballot Flawed, U.S. Says
(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703506904575592431134922388.html), The Wall Street
Journal (4 November 2010)
69. Information and Publish. Department. "CIS Inter­Parliamentary Assembly"
(http://www.cisstat.com/eng/c3.htm). Cisstat.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
70. "Member Nations of the CIS" (http://www.iacis.ru/eng/parliaments/). CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.
Retrieved 14 March 2015.
71. Yanukovych: Ukraine will not have second state language
(http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/61283/), Kyiv Post (9 March 2010)
72. Vinep A Kankam­da­Costa (2012). Who Is Fit to Rule America in the Twenty­First Century and Beyond?
(http://books.google.com/books?id=Vpf7nTErV64C). Xlibris. p. 271. ISBN 9781479739653. Retrieved

14. 19/05/2015 Commonwealth of Independent States ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States 14/14
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to
Commonwealth of
Independent States.
External links
CIS Executive Committee (http://www.cis.minsk.by)
Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the
CIS (http://iacis.ru/eng/)
Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS
(http://www.cisstat.com/eng/index.htm)
Charter of the CIS (http://www.therussiasite.org/legal/laws/CIScharter.html)
PINR ­ C.I.S. Struggles for Cohesion (http://www.pinr.com/report.php?
ac=view_report&report_id=309&language_id=1)
RZB Outlook For Commonwealth Of Independent States
(http://home.globalcustodian.com/newsshow.do?newsid=26824)
Food Security in Caucasus and Republic of Moldova (FAO)
(http://www.foodsec.org/web/regional/europe/overview/en/)
Kembayev, Zhenis. Legal Aspects of the Regional Integration Processes in the Post­Soviet Area.
Berlin­Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2009 (http://www.springer.com/law/international/book/978­
3­540­87651­9?changeHeader) (summary and sample pages).
Belarus Leads The CIS In 2013 (http://belarusdigest.com/story/belarus­leads­cis­2013­12531)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Commonwealth_of_Independent_States&oldid=661556864"
Categories: Commonwealth of Independent States Organizations established in 1991
United Nations General Assembly observers Post­Soviet alliances Dissolution of the Soviet Union
This page was last modified on 9 May 2015, at 14:29.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution­ShareAlike License; additional terms
may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a
registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non­profit organization.
(http://books.google.com/books?id=Vpf7nTErV64C). Xlibris. p. 271. ISBN 9781479739653. Retrieved
17 November 2013.