The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation or alliance consisting of 12 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... An alliance can be: an agreement between two parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. ... The Post-Soviet states, also commonly known as former Soviet republics, are the independent nations which split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its breakup in 1991. ...

The creation of CIS signaled the dissolution of the Soviet Union and, according to leaders of Russia, its purpose was to "allow a civilized divorce" between the Soviet Republics. However, many observers have seen the CIS as a tool that would allow Russia to keep its influence over the post-Soviet states. Since its formation, the member-states of CIS have signed a large number of documents concerning integration and cooperation on matters of economics, defense and foreign policy. In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR), often called simply Soviet republics. ... U.S. Economic Calendar Economics at the Open Directory Project Economics textbooks on Wikibooks The Economists Economics A-Z Institutions and organizations Bureau of Labor Statistics - from the American Labor Department Center for Economic and Policy Research (USA) National Bureau of Economic Research (USA) - Economics material from the organization... A plants defence The words defense (AmE) or defence (CwE) can refer to any of the following: For defense of a doctoral dissertation see thesis committee For the military term see defense (military) Civil defense measures and emergency preparedness In politics, defense may be a euphemism for war For... A foreign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how a particular country will interact with the other countries of the world. ...

Flag of the CIS

File links The following pages link to this file: Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Kazakhstan Russia Tajikistan Ukraine Uzbekistan Commonwealth of Independent States Georgia (country) Kyrgyzstan Turkmenistan Template:Commonwealth of Independent States Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Footers 2004 Summer Olympics medals count by International Organization List of FIFA country codes Economy of Asia... File links The following pages link to this file: Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Kazakhstan Russia Tajikistan Ukraine Uzbekistan Commonwealth of Independent States Georgia (country) Kyrgyzstan Turkmenistan Template:Commonwealth of Independent States Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Footers 2004 Summer Olympics medals count by International Organization List of FIFA country codes Economy of Asia...

History

Foundation

Map of the CIS. The CIS encompasses most of the territory of the former Soviet Union.

Initiating the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the autumn of 1991, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine met on December 8 in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Natural Reserve, about 50 km (30 mi) north of Brest in Belarus, and signed an agreement establishing the CIS. At the same time they announced that the new confederation would be open to all republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as other nations sharing the same goals. Map of the CIS. Made it. ... Map of the CIS. Made it. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Białowieża Primaeval Forest, known as Belavezhskaya Pushcha (Белавеская пушча) in Belarus and Puszcza Białowieska in Poland, is an ancient virginal forest straddling the border between Belarus and Poland, located 70 km north of Brest. ... Brest (Belarusian: Бе́расьце, Брэст | BieraÅ›cie, Brest; also known as Brest-Litovsk and in Polish as Brześć Litewski, Brześć nad Bugiem or Brześć BiaÅ‚oruski; Ukrainian: Берестя; Russian: Брест; Lithuanian: Lietuvos Brasta (litterally meaning shallows of Lithuania) is a city (population 290,000 in 2004) in Belarus close to the Polish border where the...

Mikhail Gorbachev described this as an "illegal and dangerous" constitutional coup, but it soon became clear that the development could not be stopped: On December 21, 1991, the leaders of 11 of the 12 remaining constituent republics of the USSR met in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, and signed the charter, thus de facto ratifying the initial CIS treaty. The Soviet government had already recognized the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on September 6, 1991, and the three Baltic nations as well as Georgia refused to join CIS. The CIS charter stated that all the members were sovereign and independent nations and thereby effectively abolished the USSR. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov (Gorbachev)   listen? (Russian: ; pronunciation: ) (born March 2, 1931), was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR), often called simply Soviet republics. ... Almaty (Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Verny, Vyernyi (Верный) in Imperial Russia) is a city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,168,000. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ...

The 11 original member states were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. In December 1993, Georgia also joined the CIS in somewhat controversial circumstances, following a civil war in which Russian troops intervened on the side of the Shevardnadze government. December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze (Georgian: ედუარდ შევარდნაძე, Russian: Эдуа́рд Амвро́сьевич Шевардна́дзе; pronounced ed-oo-ard am-vro-see-ye-vitch she-va-rd-nad-zuh) (born 25 January 1928) is a Georgian politician. ...

CIS crisis

Between 2003 and 2005, the corrupt and/or authoritarian leaderships of three CIS member states were overthrown in a series of "color revolutions": Eduard Shevardnadze in Georgia, Leonid Kuchma in Ukraine, and, lastly, Askar Akayev in Kyrgyzstan. In Ukraine especially, the new government has taken a clearly pro-Western stance contrasted to their predecessors' close relationship with the Kremlin. The new government of Georgia has likewise taken a pro-Western and anti-Kremlin stance. Moldova also seems to be quietly drifting toward the West, away from the CIS. Color revolutions or Flower revolutions are the names given collectively to a series of related movements that have developed in post_communist societies in Eastern Europe and are possibly spreading elsewhere. ... Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze (Georgian: ედუარდ შევარდნაძე, Russian: Эдуа́рд Амвро́сьевич Шевардна́дзе; pronounced ed-oo-ard am-vro-see-ye-vitch she-va-rd-nad-zuh) (born 25 January 1928) is a Georgian politician. ... Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (Леонід Кучма) (born August 9, 1938) was the second President of Ukraine from July 19, 1994 to January 23, 2005. ... Askar Akayev Askar Akayevich Akayev (Аскар Акаевич Акаев) (born November 10, 1944 in Kyzyl-Bairak, Kirghiz SSR) served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 to March 2005, when he was deposed by a popular uprising dubbed the Tulip Revolution. ...

In that timeframe a number of statements have been made by member state officials, casting doubt on the potential and continued worth of the CIS:

• On September 19, 2003, Vladimir Voronin, the president of Moldova expressed his disappointment at the Common Economic Space, set up between Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus, and claimed this decision would lead to a "depreciation of CIS stock" and that it showed that "possible modernization of the CIS has been abandoned for good" and "the lack of perspective of the CIS has become evident". [1]

• In November 2004, the Defense Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Baramidze, told reporters that he would not be attending a council of CIS defense ministers, and that the CIS is "yesterday's history", while Georgia's future was in cooperation with NATO defense ministers. [2]

• One of the closest allies of Russia, the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, said during a summit with Vladimir Putin that "The CIS is undergoing the most critical phase of its history" and is at risk of being dissolved or losing all its significance to the member states.

• On April 9, 2005, Minister of Economics of Ukraine said at a news conference "there is no hope for CIS development" and that Ukrainian government is considering halting its financial contributions to CIS bodies. [3]

September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... Vladimir Nicolae Voronin (born May 25, 1941) has been the President of Moldova since April 7, 2001. ... Flag of EURASEC The Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC) was put into motion on the 10th October 2000 when Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed the treaty. ... Giorgi Baramidze Giorgi Baramidze (born 1968 -) is a Georgian politician and current State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April... Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Lukashenka) (Russian: Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Belarusian: Алякса́ндр Рыго́равіч Лукашэ́нка, Alaksandar Ryhoravič Lukašenka) (born August 30, 1954) is the current President of Belarus. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Role and organization

The CIS is headquartered in Minsk, Belarus. The chairman of the CIS is known as the executive secretary. All of the CIS's executive secretaries have been from Belarus or Russia. The current executive secretary is former Russian interior minister, Vladimir Rushailo. Victory Square, the central place of Minsk Minsk (Belarusian: Мінск (official spelling in Belarus), Менск; Russian: ) is the capital and a major city of Belarus with a population of 1. ... Vladimir Rushailo (born 1953 or 1954) is a Russian politician. ...

From a historical point of view, the CIS could be viewed a successor entity to the Soviet Union, insofar as one of its original intents was to provide a framework for the disassembly of that state. However, the CIS is emphatically not a state unto itself, and is more comparable to the European Community than to its "predecessor". However, although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is more than a purely symbolic organization, possessing coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security. The most significant issue for the CIS is the establishment of a full-fledged free trade zone / economic union between the member states, to be launched in 2005. It has also promoted cooperation on democratisation and cross-border crime prevention. The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

During the 1992 Olympic Games (in Albertville and Barcelona), athletes from the CIS member states competed as the Unified Team for the last time. In other sports events in that year, such as the European Championships in football, athletes took part as representatives of the CIS. Since then, the member states have competed under their national banners. 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every two years and alternating between Summer and Winter Games. ... The XVI Olympic Winter Games were held in 1992 in France. ... The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games of 1992 (in Albertville and Barcelona, respectively). ...

Institutions

The CIS member states interact and coordinate through the following institutions:

• Council of the Heads of States
• Council of the Heads of Governments
• Council of Foreign Ministers
• Council of Defense Ministers
• Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (IPA)

Established in March 1992 as a consultative institution, the first participants were Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Between 1993 and 1996, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova also joined. Ukraine joined in 1999.

IPA sessions are held twice a year in Saint Petersburg, and are composed of parliamentary delegations of the member states. The IPA has nine permanent commissions: on legal issues; on economy and finance; on social policy and human rights; on ecology and natural resources; on defense and security issues; on culture, science, education and information issues; on foreign policy affairs; on state-building and local government; on control budget. [4]

• Economic Court
• Economic Council
• Executive Committee (legal successor of the Executive Secretariat)
• Council of Border Troops Commanders
• Council of Collective Security
• Interstate Bank
• Interstate Statistical Committee

1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

Election Observation Missions

Main article: CIS election observation missions On October 2002, the Commonwealth of Independent States adopted at a heads of states meeting, the Convention on the Standards of Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights, and Freedoms in the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States. ...

Since 2002 the CIS has been sending observers to elections in countries belonging to the CIS. Several of these observation missions have been extremely controversial, as their findings have been that the elections are "free and fair" only when the pro-Kremlin or ruling-party wins, and therefore has often been in contradiction with the findings of other international organizations from Western liberal-democracies - such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe, or the European Union - which normally label those same elections as having many irregularities. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... The Palace of Europe in Strasbourg The Council of Europe is an international organisation of 46 member states in the European region. ...

After the CIS observer mission disputed the final (repeat) round of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which followed the Orange Revolution and brought into power the former opposition, Ukraine suspended its membership in the CIS observer missions. The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. ... Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ...

Moves for further integration

CIS Collective Security Treaty

The CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) was signed on May 15, 1992, by Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in the city of Tashkent. Azerbaijan likewise signed the treaty on September 24, 1993, Georgia on December 9, 1993 and Belarus on December 31, 1993. The treaty came into effect on April 20, 1994. May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tashkent Tashkent (Toshkent or Тошкент in Uzbek, Ташке́нт in Russian; its name is Turkoman language for Stone City It is the current capital of Uzbekistan. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

The treaty reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories wouldn't be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states, while an aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all.

The CST was set to last for a 5-year period unless extended. On April 2, 1999, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, signed a protocol renewing the treaty for another five year period -- however Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan refused to sign and withdrew from the treaty instead. 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

On October 7, 2002, the six members of the CST, signed a charter in Chisinau, expanding it and renaming to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Nikolai Bordyuzha was appointed secretary general of the new organization. October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chişinău. ...

Russian Language

Russia has been urging for the Russian language to receive official status in all 12 of the CIS member states. So far Russian is an official language in four of these states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Russian is also considered an official language in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and Transnistria, as well as the semi-autonomous region of Gagauzia in Moldova. Russian (русский язык   listen?) is the most widely spoken language of Europe and the most widespread of the Slavic languages. ... Abkhazia (Abkhaz Аҧсны/Aphsny, Georgian აფხაზეთი/Apkhazeti, Russian Абха́зия/Abkhazia) is a region of 8,600 km² (3,300 sq. ... Transnistria or Transdniestria (Russian: Приднестровье, Pridnestrovye; Moldovan: Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ, Republica Moldoveneasca Nistreana; Romanian: Transnistria; referred to as Stînga Nistrului (Left Bank of the Nistru) by official Moldovan sources, Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika by Transnistrian official sources, and Moldavian Republic of Transdniestria (MRT) by European Court of Human Rights) is a breakaway... Gagauzia (or Gagauz-Yeri) is an autonomous region within Moldova, located along the southern border with Ukraine, inhabited by the Gagauz, a Turkic people who are ethnically and culturally distinct from other Moldovans. ...

Viktor Yanukovich, the Moscow-supported presidential candidate in the controversial Ukrainian presidential election, 2004, declared his intention to make Russian an official second language of Ukraine. However, Victor Yushchenko, the winner, is unlikely to do so as he is more closely aligned with the Ukrainian-speaking population. Viktor Yanukovych Campaign Poster 2004 Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (Russian: Виктор Федорович Янукович1) (born July 9, 1950 in Yenakiieve, Donetska oblast) was Prime Minister of Ukraine from November 21, 2002 to December 31, 2004. ... The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. ... Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (Ukrainian: Віктор Андрійович Ющенко) (born 23 February 1954) is the president of Ukraine. ... Ukrainian (украї́нська мо́ва, ukrayins’ka mova) is the official language of Ukraine. ...

Common Economic Space

There has been discussion about the creation of a "common economic space" between the 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 Novo-Ogarevo on February 23, 2003. Saint Basils Cathedral and Spasskaya Tower of Moscow Kremlin at Red Square. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The Common Economic Space would involve a supranational commission on trade and tariffs that would be based in Kiev, would be initially 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 organization that would be open for other countries to join as well, and could eventually lead even to a single currency. [5] Supranationalism is a method of decision-making in international organizations, where power is held by independent appointed officials or by representatives elected by the legislatures or people of the member states. ... A tariff is a tax placed on imported and/or exported goods, sometimes called a customs duty. ... Motto: Oblast Municipality Municipal government City council (Київська Міська рада) Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko Area 800 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 2,642,486 100% 3,299/km² Founded City rights around 5th century 1487 Latitude Longitude 50°27′ N 30°30′ E Area code +380 44 Car plates  ? Twin towns Athens, Brussels, Budapest...

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. May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... Verkhovna Rada. ... Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (Ukrainian: Віктор Андрійович Ющенко) (born 23 February 1954) is the President of Ukraine. ... The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. ...

See also

• GUUAM

: GUUAM grouping : The rest of the CIS. GU(U)AM (Cyrillic: ГУ(У)АМ) is a regional organization of five CIS states: Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. ...

External links and references

• Charter of the CIS
• CIS Executive Committee (in English)
• Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS

• The Manila Times - Opinion: Experts hear death bells ringing for Russia’s CIS
• PINR - C.I.S. Struggles for Cohesion

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Armenia | Azerbaijan | Belarus | Georgia | Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Moldova | Russia | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan | Ukraine | Uzbekistan