The Commonwealth of Independent States is. Ukraine's status in the CIS

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COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES (CIS), community of the former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Formed in accordance with the agreement signed on December 8, 1991 in Viskuli (the seat of the government of Belarus) by the leaders of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as with the protocol to the said agreement, which was signed on December 21, 1991 in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) by the leaders of 11 -the republics of the former USSR: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan), Moldova (Moldavia), Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Georgia joined the CIS in December 1993. Of the former republics of the USSR, the CIS did not include Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. In August 2005, Turkmenistan terminated its permanent membership and is currently an associate member of the CIS.

According to the CIS Charter (approved by the heads of the member states in January 1993), the Commonwealth is not a state and does not have supranational powers. It is based on beginnings sovereign equality all its members, each of which is an independent and equal subject of international law.

Commonwealth goals:

- implementation of cooperation between member states in political, economic, legal, cultural, environmental, humanitarian and other fields, cooperation in ensuring international peace and security, as well as achieving disarmament;

- creation of a common economic space, ensuring interstate cooperation and integration in the interests of comprehensive and balanced economic and social development of the member states;

- mutual assistance in order to create peaceful living conditions for peoples, ensuring collective security;

- peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts between the participating countries;

- assistance to citizens of the member states in free communication, contacts and movement on the territory of the countries of the Commonwealth.

Relations between the CIS member states are based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, self-determination and territorial integrity countries and non-interference in their foreign policy and internal affairs, inviolability of existing borders, non-use of force and resolution of disputes by peaceful means, as well as the rule of international law.

The total territory of the states that are part of the CIS (excluding the territory of Turkmenistan) is 21.6 million square meters. km., population - St. 275 million people (2006). The headquarters of the Commonwealth is located in Minsk (Belarus). In the CIS countries, approx. 10% of the world's industrial potential and almost 25% of the world's proven reserves natural resources.

The working language of the CIS is Russian. The Commonwealth has its own official symbols and flag.

The history of the formation of the CIS.

The initial agreement on the creation of the CIS was signed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on December 8, 1991 by the chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus Stanislav Shushkevich, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk. They announced the termination of negotiations organized by the President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev to conclude a new union treaty, which was intended to reform the USSR. Gorbachev called the Belovezhsky agreement unconstitutional and said that only the Congress of People's Deputies had the right to dissolve the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, on December 10, the decision to create the CIS was ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Supreme Council of Belarus, and on December 12 - by the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation. The 1922 treaty establishing the USSR was declared canceled. On December 13, after two days of negotiations in Ashgabat (the capital of Turkmenistan), the heads of state of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan announced their desire to join the newly created Commonwealth, and Azerbaijan and Armenia expressed similar intentions. On December 17, Gorbachev and Yeltsin reached an agreement to dissolve the USSR. On December 21, 1991, a meeting of the leaders of 11 former republics of the USSR took place in Alma-Ata; Georgia sent its observers to it. The participants in the meeting finally confirmed the termination of the existence of the USSR. They adopted the Alma-Ata Declaration, reaffirming the mutual recognition of the sovereignty and inviolability of borders, as well as the intention to carry out comprehensive cooperation and fulfill the international obligations of the former USSR. The Commonwealth was declared open both to the former republics of the Soviet Union and to other states agreeing with its principles and goals. Permanent place The USSR in the UN Security Council was recognized for Russia.

The participants in the meeting agreed to create coordinating bodies (Councils of Heads of State and Heads of Government), to maintain overall command of the military-strategic forces and overall control over nuclear weapons. Four republics that had nuclear weapons on their territory (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine) agreed to abide by and ratify the START treaty concluded by the USSR (the treaty on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms was signed between the USSR and the USA in Moscow on July 31, 1991); Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have agreed to deliver their tactical nuclear weapons to Russia for destruction under joint control.

Until December 26, 1991, the Alma-Ata agreements were ratified by the parliaments of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Georgia did not join the Commonwealth.

The first meeting of the heads of 11 CIS states took place on December 30, 1991 in Minsk. In the course of it, an agreement was signed that recognized the need for the Joint Command of Strategic nuclear forces and joint control over weapons of mass destruction in service with the former USSR. With regard to conventional weapons, the CIS states have recognized the principle of creating national armies in former Soviet republics subordinate to the CIS high command. The issue of creating the CIS armed forces was also discussed at the second meeting of the heads of state, which took place on January 16, 1992 in Moscow. At the third meeting (Minsk, February 14, 1992), the leaders of 8 member states agreed in principle to maintain a unified command of the armed forces for two years. However, disagreements remained on this issue between the countries of the Community. At the fourth summit, held in Kiev on March 20, 1992, an agreement was reached on the separation of powers in military matters. In accordance with them, the armed forces of the CIS were to include in their composition strategic and joint forces (peacekeeping forces modeled on the "blue helmets" of the UN). This decision was recognized only by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In May 1992, at the fifth meeting in Tashkent, the heads of state of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan signed a collective security pact (military mutual assistance) and, in principle, agreed on joint border control. In July of the same year, it was decided to send peacekeeping forces to "hot spots" on the territory of the CIS; Azerbaijan did not agree with this decision.

Sharp disputes between Russia and Ukraine over the problems of the division of the Black Sea Fleet of the former USSR and the general command of strategic arms were settled after the achievement of an appropriate agreement between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine (June 1992).

Disagreements between the CIS states also existed on a number of other issues. In March 1992, the chairmen of the parliaments of the member states discussed the creation of a parliamentary assembly of the Commonwealth, whose tasks were to include the discussion and adoption of laws of an inter-republican nature. The delegations of Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkmenistan did not sign an agreement on this issue. Differences in views on economic cooperation persisted, incl. regarding the preservation of the ruble zone. At the sixth summit meeting (Moscow, August 1992), the President of Ukraine Kravchuk refused to join the signed agreements on the creation of a joint economic court and common system missile defense. An agreement was signed on the withdrawal of a number of former republics from the ruble zone. Countries that have expressed a desire to preserve the ruble as a currency (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Uzbekistan) have agreed to pursue a common monetary policy under the leadership of the Russian Central Bank. It was also decided to send CIS peacekeeping forces to conflict zones on the territory of the former Soviet Union. In October 1992, at the seventh meeting of leaders of states, held in Bishkek, it was decided to send CIS peacekeeping forces to Tajikistan, where there was a civil war. Agree on the formation of a central council economic cooperation failed, it was only decided to create an advisory committee on economic issues. The heads of state of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on the preservation of the ruble as a currency and the principle of creating a common Central Bank. The parliament of Azerbaijan, where the opposition Popular Front came to power, refused to ratify the agreement on the creation of the CIS, and the delegation of this country participated in the meeting in observer status.

The adoption of the CIS Charter during the eighth summit meeting (Minsk, January 22, 1993) was again accompanied by controversy. The document was supported by the leaders of 7 states (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus); the heads of Moldova, Ukraine and Turkmenistan rejected it, considering the powers assigned to the coordination bodies of the Commonwealth to be excessive. In March 1993, the defense ministers of 6 countries reached an agreement on strengthening military cooperation, however, the plan for the creation of a common armed forces was not agreed (Russia considered it too costly). In June 1993, a decision was made to abolish the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Commonwealth and to form a Joint Headquarters to coordinate military cooperation.

At the 9th Summit (Moscow, May 1993), the heads of 9 states approved the proposal of the presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia to create an economic union in the future on the model of the European Union. This was opposed by the President of Turkmenistan S.A. Niyazov, who insisted on cooperation on the basis of bilateral agreements. In August of the same year, the presidents of Russia (B.N. Yeltsin), Kazakhstan (N.A. Nazarbayev) and Uzbekistan (I.A.Karimov) signed an agreement in Moscow, which provided for the formation of an economic and monetary union, open for other states. It was supposed to keep the ruble as a common currency; the idea of ​​creating a ruble zone was supported by Armenia. However, this agreement was not implemented, in November Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia introduced their own currencies.

By the end of 1993, two unofficial groups of states had formed within the CIS. One of them (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) advocated greater coordination and expansion of cooperation in the field of foreign policy, defense, monetary policy, economy and transport). Another (Turkmenistan and Ukraine) showed an interest in limited cooperation, emphasizing the protection of their national interests. The situation was aggravated by acute conflicts in a number of CIS states (the civil war in Tajikistan, the conflict in Transnistria and the Armenian-Azerbaijani war). In addition, the Central Asian states were interested, first of all, in closer cooperation with each other and in the development of relations with neighboring Muslim countries - Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. With the coming to power in Azerbaijan in 1993, Heydar Aliyev, this country returned to the CIS. The head of state of Georgia E.A. Shevardnadze began to pursue a policy of rapprochement with the Commonwealth, and in December of the same year Georgia became its member. At a regular meeting of the heads of state and government (Moscow, September 1993), the prime ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on the creation of an economic union, to which Georgia also joined. Turkmenistan became an associated member of the union in December 1993, and Ukraine in April 1994. The members of the union spoke in favor of the formation of a common economic space based on the free movement of goods, services, labor and capital, on the development of an agreed monetary, tax, price, customs and foreign economic policy, on the convergence of regulatory methods economic activity and creating favorable conditions for the development of direct production ties. In April 1994 Moldova ratified the agreement on the CIS, thus officially becoming its full member. At the same time, she stated that she still did not intend to take part in the coordination of foreign policy activities and policies in the field of migration (these reservations were withdrawn by Moldova in October 2002). In April 1994, at a regular summit in Moscow, a number of economic agreements were signed and the mandate of the CIS peacekeeping force in Tajikistan was extended, and in October of the same year, a convention on the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities was adopted.

The institutions of the Commonwealth were gradually formed. The duties of the CIS executive secretary were assigned in 1993 to Ivan Korochenya. At the summit in Ashgabat (December 1993), the post of chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of State was established, the first chairman was RF President Yeltsin. In February 1994, the chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Vladimir Shumeiko, took over as chairman of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly. In October 1994, at a meeting of heads of state, government, foreign and defense ministers, an interstate commission on economic issues was formed with headquarters in Moscow. In February 1995, the presidents of the CIS countries approved a memorandum on the maintenance of peace and stability in Alma-Ata; the states of the Commonwealth have undertaken to refrain from exerting political, economic or other pressure on each other. In May 1995, the heads of the CIS states signed an agreement in Minsk on the creation of an interstate committee on monetary and financial issues, designed to coordinate the financial and credit policy of the CIS.

The greatest difficulties arose with the coordination of issues military policy Commonwealth. Participants in the May 1995 summit extended the mandate of the CIS peacekeeping forces in Tajikistan and Abkhazia. However, a number of states (Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine) refused to join the agreement on joint protection of external borders and the general convention on human rights.

Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia agreed to create a customs union, however, at the next meeting of heads of state and government in Minsk (January 1996), it was not possible to achieve its expansion (in March of the same year, only Kyrgyzstan joined it). The leaders of the CIS countries extended the mandate of the peacekeeping forces in Tajikistan and reached an agreement on a joint air defense system. Ukraine refused to participate in its creation. In May 1996, at a meeting in Moscow, the heads of government approved an integration plan for 1996–1997 and a joint program to combat economic and organized crime. In March 1997, at a meeting of the presidents of 12 CIS countries, the formation of a commission for the settlement of regional conflicts was agreed.

Speaking at the CIS summit in October 1997 in Chisinau, Russian President Yeltsin said that the Commonwealth is working ineffectively, and many agreements are not being implemented (for example, agreements on the creation of the Central Bank, on the economic community of the Central Asian republics, on the economic union, on the general economic space, etc.). He demanded a reorganization of the CIS. At the next meeting of the leaders of states in April 1998 in Moscow, a new executive secretary of the Commonwealth was appointed - Boris Berezovsky (representative of Russia). But already in March 1999 he was dismissed "for activities incompatible with the position." In April 1999, the heads of the CIS countries approved Yuri Yarov (RF) as the executive secretary of the CIS.

Disagreements in the Commonwealth persisted in the end. 1990s. At the April 1999 meeting of the presidents, it was not possible to agree on the extension of the collective security treaty signed in May 1992 (Moldova, Turkmenistan and Ukraine did not join it). The treaty expired on April 20, 1999. Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a protocol renewing the treaty for the next five years. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan refused to extend it.

The CIS states, which were supporters of closer rapprochement, continued to strive for further cooperation. On March 29, 1996, the presidents of Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement in Moscow on deepening integration in the economic and humanitarian fields. It was aimed at creating a closer association ("Community of Integrated States"), expanding cooperation in the economy, science, culture and social sphere while maintaining the sovereignty of the parties. It was envisaged to create mechanisms for coordinating foreign policy, a common system of security and border security, as well as the creation of an interstate council (headed by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko) and a parity inter-parliamentary committee. On April 2, 1996, the presidents of Belarus and Russia signed an agreement in Moscow on the creation of the Commonwealth of Sovereign Republics. According to this document, both states pledged to closely cooperate in the field of foreign policy, economy and military issues, it was planned to create joint bodies: the Council (with the participation of heads of state, government and parliaments) and a parity Parliamentary Assembly. On April 2, 1997, an agreement was signed on the alliance of Russia and Belarus. In February 1999, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan approved the creation of a common economic space; Tajikistan joined the customs union.

After the resignation of Yeltsin, he was elected chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of State in January 2000 new president Russian Vladimir Putin. In the beginning. 2000 foreign ministers agreed on the withdrawal of peacekeeping units from Tajikistan in connection with the settlement of the situation in the country, as well as on the extension of the mandate of the peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia. In June 2000, the presidents of the CIS countries adopted a statement refusing to revise the Soviet-American agreement on missile defense in 1972. It was also decided to create a joint Anti-Terrorist Center in Moscow to combat organized crime and religious fundamentalism.

In the beginning. In the 2000s, there were actually two camps in the CIS. On the one hand, supporters of increased integration (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan) in October 2000 transformed the customs union into a Eurasian economic community(Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine joined as observers). In October 2005, Uzbekistan also announced its intention to join the community. In 2002, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed an agreement to establish the Collective Security Treaty Organization. In February 2003, at a meeting in Novo-Ogarevo, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on the formation of the Common Economic Space (CES). The coordinating body of the CES was supposed to be the interstate commission on trade and tariffs, not subordinate to the governments of the member states. The CES was declared open for other countries to join it. The possibility of introducing a single currency in the future was allowed.

In January 2003, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma was elected Chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of State. The influence of the adherents of strengthening the CIS was felt in September 2003 at the summit in Yalta. The leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine approved the formation of the CES. At the suggestion of the CIS foreign ministers, statements were approved on the basic principles of economic cooperation, decisions on the creation of a joint commission for cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration, on the extension of the term of office of the head of the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center and the commander of the CIS Collective Peacekeeping Forces in Abkhazia. In June 2004, Russian representative Vladimir Rushailo became the executive secretary of the CIS. In September of the same year, at a summit in Astana, Putin was elected the new chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of State.

On the other hand, there was a rapprochement between states that did not want integration with the participation of Russia. In October 1997, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine formed their own group to strengthen cooperation in trade, economy and transport communications, as well as to strengthen regional security. Uzbekistan joined it in April 1999; the organization was named GUUAM (after the first letters of the names of the participating countries). In the beginning. In the 2000s, the participating countries took a number of measures in order to revitalize its activities, focusing primarily on the trade of Caspian oil and other resources in Western markets. In 2002, they announced the creation of a free trade zone. But the differences between the GUUAM member states made the emerging union unstable. The participation of Uzbekistan was not active, and Ukraine, interested in the supply of Russian gas, at the same time sought mutual understanding with the Eurasian Economic Community.

The activity of GUUAM intensified after the change of power in Georgia and Ukraine took place in 2003-2004 (the so-called “color revolutions”). The policy of the new presidents of Georgia (Mikhail Saakashvili) and Ukraine (Viktor Yushchenko) was focused on the accession of their states to NATO and on cooperation with the EU. Representatives of a number of GUUAM countries made statements expressing doubts about the potential and future role of the CIS. For example, in September 2003, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin expressed dissatisfaction with the creation of the CES, allegedly damaging the CIS. In November 2004, Georgian Defense Minister G. Baramidze stated that the CIS is "yesterday". In February 2006, Georgia officially withdrew from the CIS Council of Defense Ministers, motivating this with its intention to join NATO. In April 2005, the Minister of Economy of Ukraine said that the further development of the CIS is problematic, and his country may reduce contributions to the Commonwealth budget. On the contrary, the anti-government uprising in Uzbekistan in the spring of 2005 and the condemnation by Western countries of measures to suppress the rebellion contributed to Uzbekistan's withdrawal from GUUAM. Turkmenistan in August 2005 passed from full to associate membership in the CIS.

Competence and main areas of activity of the CIS.

According to the CIS Charter, the spheres of joint activity of the Commonwealth member states include:

- ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms;

- coordination of foreign policy activities;

- cooperation in the formation and development of a common economic space, common European and Eurasian markets, as well as customs policy;

- cooperation in the development of transport and communication systems;

- health protection and environment;

- issues of social and migration policy;

- fight against organized crime;

- cooperation in the field of defense policy and the protection of external borders.

Cooperation in the economic, social and legal fields, according to the Charter, was assumed in the following areas:

- the formation of a common economic space based on market relations and free movement of goods, services, capital and labor;

- coordination social policy, development of joint social programs and measures to reduce social tension in connection with the implementation of economic reforms;

- development of transport and communication systems, energy systems; coordination of credit and financial policy;

- assistance in the development of trade and economic relations of the member states;

- encouragement and mutual protection of investments;

- assistance in standardization and certification of industrial products and goods;

– legal protection intellectual property;

- promoting the development of a common information space;

- Implementation of joint environmental protection measures, mutual assistance in eliminating the consequences of environmental disasters and other emergencies;

- implementation of joint projects and programs in the field of science and technology, education, health care, culture and sports;

- the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements on the provision of legal assistance; convergence in the field of national legislation.

The main agreements and projects in this area are:

- the formation of the "Common Economic Space" (CES, proclaimed in 2003 by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine). As of April 2006, an organizational group is in place, drafts of 38 basic documents that form the basis of the CES are being developed, within the next 2-3 years after their ratification, it is planned to establish the functioning of the Customs Union;

- joint programs: "Interstate target program for the development of the CIS Forces Corps for the elimination of the consequences of natural and man-made emergencies" (November 1998; participants - Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine; Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan temporarily suspended its participation); "Interstate radio navigation program" (March 2001; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine participate); interstate program "Use of natural gas as a motor fuel for vehicles" (March 2001; participants - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine); "Interstate complex program rehabilitation of war veterans, participants in local conflicts and victims of terrorism " (May 2001; Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine); "Interstate program for creating a network of information and marketing centers for the promotion of goods and services to the national markets of the CIS member states" (November 2001; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine); "Interstate program for the implementation of the concept of forming a single (common) educational space of the CIS" (November 2001; Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan); "Program of the main events of cooperation of the CIS member states in the field of culture" (November 2001; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine); "Program of urgent measures to counter the AIDS epidemic" (May 2002; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine); "Program of joint actions for the prevention and control of foot and mouth disease in the Commonwealth countries" (April 2004; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine); "Agreement on humanitarian cooperation of the CIS member states" (August 2005).

In the field of collective security and military-political cooperation, the following tasks are put forward:

- Coordination of policies in the field of international security, disarmament and arms control, as well as the policy of building the armed forces;

- maintaining security in the Commonwealth, incl. with the help of military observer teams and collective peacekeeping forces;

- organization of mutual consultations in order to coordinate the positions of the CIS states in the event of a threat to the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of one or several member states or to international peace; taking measures to eliminate the threat that has arisen, including peacekeeping operations and the use of the military;

- coordination of the activities of the border troops and other services exercising control over the security of the external borders of the CIS states;

- taking measures to resolve disputes and conflicts between the CIS states;

- cooperation in the field of combating crime and terrorism.

On May 15, 1992 in Tashkent, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed the "CIS Collective Security Treaty". Later it was joined by Azerbaijan (September 24, 1993), Georgia (December 9, 1993) and Belarus (December 31, 1993). The treaty entered into force on April 20, 1994. It reaffirmed the intention of states to renounce the use of force or the threat of its use, not to join military alliances and to consider aggression against one of the participating states as aggression against all signatories to the treaty. On October 7, 2002, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a charter to establish the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

The main interstate agreements governing cooperation between the CIS countries in the military-political and security spheres are: “Program for the implementation of the Agreement on cooperation in training and advanced training of military personnel for border troops (October 9, 1997; participants - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan); "Program of military-technical cooperation of the CIS member states" (October 7, 2002; Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine); program "Creation and development of a united system air defense CIS member states " (October 7, 2002; Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan); "Program for Improving Cooperation of the CIS Member States in the Border Sphere" (October 7, 2002; Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan); “Program of Cooperation in Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors” (September 16, 2004; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine); "Interstate program of joint measures to combat crime" (September 16, 2004; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine).

At the summit of the CIS countries in August 2005 in Kazan, new documents were approved regulating cooperation between the Commonwealth states in this area: “Concept of military cooperation until 2010”, “Concept of a coordinated border policy”, “Program of cooperation in combating illegal migration for 2006– 2008 ”,“ Program of cooperation in the fight against terrorism and other violent manifestations of extremism for 2005-2007 ”.

Financing of the CIS.

The activities of the CIS bodies and the implementation of joint programs are financed by the countries of the Commonwealth on the basis of the shared participation of the member states. Expenditures are set in accordance with special agreements on the budgets of the CIS bodies. The budgets are approved by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Heads of Government of the participating States. The Council of Heads of Government determines the procedure for considering issues of financial and economic activities of the Commonwealth bodies. The costs associated with the participation of representatives of individual member states, experts and consultants in the work of meetings and bodies of the CIS, shall be borne by these states themselves.

When creating the executive bodies of the CIS in 1993, the participating countries agreed to pay their share of the costs, based on the capabilities of the national budget. So, in 2004, the contributions of states to the unified budget of the CIS bodies were planned in the amount of 251 670.2 thousand. Russian rubles... Contributions of individual countries were (in thousand rubles): Russia - 112,139.8 (44.6%), Ukraine - 25,534 (10.1%), Kazakhstan - 16,471.2 (6.5%), Belarus - 16 360.3 (6.5%), Uzbekistan - 13 472 (5.4%), Armenia - 12 346.8 (4.9%), Kyrgyzstan - 12 264.3 (4.9%), Tajikistan - 12196.7 (4.8%), Georgia - 9164.7 (3.6%), Moldova - 9133.4 (3.6%), Azerbaijan - 8240.4 (3.3%), Turkmenistan - 4346 , 6 (1.7%). Contributions were payable on a monthly basis. The sums contributed were intended for the maintenance of the Commonwealth bodies and for holding meetings of the Councils of Heads of State, Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers and the CIS Economic Council. According to the approved draft budget, for the activities of the CIS bodies from 251 670.2 thousand rubles. expenses were allocated 137,025.6 thousand rubles. (54.4%), of which for the activities of the Executive Committee of the CIS - 116 530.8 thousand rubles, the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS - 20 494.8 thousand rubles. The activities of the CIS Economic Court (resolution of disputes arising in the sphere of economic relations of the member states) were allocated 20,532.7 thousand rubles. (8.2%). On the international activities(support and development of contacts with international organizations in the economic, military-political, peacekeeping, social and other fields) - 1,333.6 thousand rubles. (0.5%). 62,347.2 thousand rubles were allocated for cooperation in the field of law enforcement and security. (24.8%), of which for the activities of the Bureau for the coordination of the fight against organized crime and other types of crime on the territory of the member states - 18,305 thousand rubles, for the activities of the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center - 27,005.9 thousand rubles, for the Coordination Service of the Council of Border Troops Commanders - 17,036.3 thousand rubles. An amount of 30,431.1 rubles was allocated for military cooperation between the CIS states. (12.1%), including 28 470 thousand rubles. for the activities of the Headquarters for the coordination of military cooperation and 1961.1 thousand rubles. for the work of the Interstate Coordination Center for the perpetuation of the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland. The costs of the Temporary Operational working group on the settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia were not included in the CIS budget.

The CIS Executive Committee has the right, in the course of budget execution, to make changes to the functional, departmental and economic structure of expenditures.

Incomplete transfer by the Commonwealth member states of their share contributions to the CIS budget (arrears for 2001-2002 amounted to 115.6 million rubles), as indicated in the documents at the summit of the CIS heads of state in Yalta (2003), “put all the Commonwealth bodies in the most difficult financial situation led to the impossibility of their normal functioning and the full implementation of the tasks assigned to them. " The participants in the meeting considered it expedient to allow the Executive Committee to create a stabilization fund for the CIS budget (at the expense of funds received in repayment of debt, interest, realizable property and valuables, etc.).

At the summit in Astana (September 2004), the CIS budget for 2005 was planned in the amount of 296,510.7 thousand rubles. Contributions (as a percentage) were distributed between countries as follows: Russia - 44.5, Ukraine - 10.6, Kazakhstan - 6.5, Belarus - 6.4, Uzbekistan - 5.5, Armenia - 4.7, Kyrgyzstan - 4.7, Tajikistan - 4.7, Georgia - 3.7, Moldova - 3.6, Azerbaijan - 3.3, and Turkmenistan - 1.8. However, at a meeting of the heads of government of the CIS countries (Tbilisi, June 2005), most countries called for a review of the funding procedure. In particular, the idea was put forward of establishing a financing rate depending on the size of the GDP of each country. The question of the principles of future financing will be decided within the framework of the planned reform of the CIS and its institutions.

Institutes and bodies of the CIS.

The interaction of the CIS member states is carried out through a number of coordinating bodies.

Statutory bodies.

In accordance with the 1993 CIS Charter, the supreme body of the Commonwealth is the Council of Heads of State (CHS), formed simultaneously with the creation of the CIS. All Member States are represented there. The Council discusses and decides the fundamental issues of the Commonwealth related to the common interests of states, as well as any issues of interest to these states. The CHS makes decisions regarding amendments to the CIS Charter, the creation of new or abolition of existing CIS bodies, as well as the organization of the structure of the Commonwealth and the activities of its bodies. He is authorized to hear reports on the activities of the Commonwealth bodies, to approve their leaders, etc. Meetings of the Council, according to the charter, meet twice a year, and extraordinary meetings are initiated by one of the member states. V Lately meetings are held once a year. The decisions in the CHS are made on the basis of general agreement (consensus). Any member state can declare its lack of interest in resolving a particular issue, however, this does not serve as an obstacle to decision-making by the rest of the Commonwealth. The chairmanship in the CHS is carried out in turn by the heads of state on the basis of the principle of rotation for a period of not more than a year (with the possibility of extension). At the meeting of the CHS in September 2004 in Astana, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin was elected as the chairman of the CHS.

The Council of Heads of Government (CHG) coordinates cooperation between the executive authorities of the CIS member states in the economic, social and other spheres of common interests. He carries out instructions given by the Council of Heads of State; implements the provisions on the creation of an economic union and a free trade zone; adopts joint programs for the development of industry, agriculture, transport, communications, energy, science and technology, as well as cooperation in the fields of tariff, credit and financial and tax policy... The CST creates the Commonwealth bodies within its competence and approves their leaders, and also solves the issues of financial support for the activities of the CIS bodies. The Council meets twice a year; extraordinary meetings may be convened at the initiative of any of the member states. The principles of decision-making and chairmanship in the CHS are the same as in the CHS. The chairman of the CST is the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Fradkov.

The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM, formed in 1993) coordinates the foreign policy activities of the CIS member states. Its members are the foreign ministers of the participating countries. According to the regulation approved by the CST on April 2, 1999, the CFM is the main executive body that ensures cooperation on major foreign policy issues of mutual interest. It acts in the period between the meetings of the CHS and CHS, making decisions on their behalf; organizes the implementation of the decisions of these bodies; promotes the development of cooperation in the field of foreign policy and diplomacy, in the humanitarian and legal spheres; Seeks ways to peacefully settle conflicts and disputes; contributes to the establishment of an atmosphere of peace, harmony and stability, the strengthening of friendship and international cooperation. The CFM considers the implementation of the decisions of the CHS and CHS, international treaties and agreements concluded within the framework of the CIS; gives conclusions and final recommendations on the draft agendas of the CHS and CHS meetings; holds consultations between the participating States; organizes their interaction in the UN and other international organizations, etc. The meetings are usually held on the eve of the meetings in the CHS and CHS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov is the chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

The Council of Defense Ministers (CMO) was formed by the decision of the CHS in February 1992 as a body of the Council of Heads of State on military policy and military development. The CMO includes the ministers of defense of the CIS states (with the exception of Moldova, Turkmenistan and Ukraine) and the chief of staff for the coordination of military cooperation of the CIS countries. The tasks of the Council include consideration of concepts of military policy and military cooperation of the CIS states and submission of relevant proposals to the CHS, as well as coordination of military cooperation and organization of the activities of a group of military observers and collective peacekeeping forces in the CIS. The CMO is called upon to develop proposals for the coordination of efforts of the member states in the field of preventing armed conflicts, the convergence of normative legal acts in the field of military organizational development and social protection of servicemen and persons dismissed from military service... Meetings of the CMO meet at least once every four months. The Council is chaired by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Bodies of the CMO - the Headquarters for the coordination of military cooperation of the CIS countries and the Secretariat of the CMO. Since 1995, the Coordination Committee on Air Defense Issues has been operating under the CMO.

The Council of Commanders of Border Troops (SKPV) was formed by the decision of the CHS on July 6, 1992 as a collegial body of the CHS and CHS on the coordination of the protection of the external borders of the CIS and the economic zones of the participating countries. It includes the commanders or chiefs of the border troops or other plenipotentiary representatives of the Commonwealth member states (with the exception of Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine), as well as the chairman of the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders. The SWQS is called upon to coordinate efforts to implement the decisions of the CHS, CHS and its own decisions related to border issues; coordinate the actions of border troops to protect external borders and economic zones; contribute to the strengthening of the border troops of the participating countries and cooperation between them. Chairman of the Council - Vladimir Pronichev. SQPV meetings are held at least once a quarter; the permanent working body is the Coordination Service.

The CIS Economic Court, according to the Commonwealth Charter, acts to ensure the fulfillment of economic obligations within the CIS. It was formed in accordance with an agreement on measures to ensure the improvement of settlements between economic organizations of the Commonwealth countries (May 15, 1992) and an agreement on the status of the Economic Court (July 6, 1992). The parties to the agreement are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The competence of the Court includes the settlement of economic disputes between the states parties to the agreement that arise in the performance of economic obligations within the framework of the Commonwealth, and the resolution of issues on the conformity of normative and other acts of states with these obligations and relevant agreements. Consideration of disputes is carried out at the request of the interested states and institutions of the CIS. In addition, the Economic Court, when considering specific cases or at the request of states and institutions of the Commonwealth, interprets the application of the provisions of agreements and acts of the CIS, as well as acts of the former USSR. In accordance with the agreement between the CIS and the Euro-Asian Economic Community of March 3, 2004, the CIS Economic Court also performs the functions of the court of this organization.

The Economic Court is composed of an equal number of judges from each of the participating States. Judges are elected or appointed for ten years by states from among judges of economic and commercial courts and other specialists. The Economic Court is located in Minsk. The chairpersons of the court and his deputies are elected by the judges by a majority vote and approved by the CHS for a five-year term. Since March 2003, Anara Kerimbayeva has been the chairman of the court. The highest collegial body of the Economic Court is the plenum, which includes the judges of the Economic Court and the chairmen of the highest economic courts of the eight states parties to the agreement. The chairman of the plenary session is the chairman of the court, the secretary of the plenary session is elected by its members for a term of five years. The Plenary Session meets at least once a quarter.

The Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA) is an interstate body of cooperation between the parliaments of the CIS countries. It was established as an advisory institution to discuss issues and draft documents of mutual interest on March 27, 1992 on the basis of the Alma-Ata agreement signed by the heads of the parliaments of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. By 1995, the IPA also included the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova, and in 1999 - the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In May 1995, the heads of state of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and in 1997 Moldova signed a convention on the IPA, in accordance with which it became an interstate body to resolve issues of convergence and harmonization of legislative acts of the Commonwealth countries based on the model legislative acts and recommendations adopted by it. Thus, the IPA has developed acts and recommendations regarding social rights and guarantees of citizens, consumer protection, migration labor resources, protection of civilians, the rights of prisoners of war, etc .; works on the creation of legislative mechanisms for the formation of a common cultural space and free trade zone, coordination of policy in the field of science and technology, environmental protection, as well as the fight against crime and corruption. The Assembly makes recommendations on synchronizing the ratification of interstate and international treaties by the parliaments of the CIS countries. As part of the peacekeeping activities in the Commonwealth, the IPA Council formed commissions for the settlement of conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, Abkhazia and Tajikistan. On the initiative of the IPA, the annual St. Petersburg Economic Forums are held. The 10th Anniversary Forum took place in June 2006; 975 delegates from 50 countries took part in its work.

The plenary sessions of the IPA (held at least twice a year) are attended by delegations from the parliaments of ten CIS member states. The organization of the IPA is entrusted to its Council, which consists of the heads of parliamentary delegations and meets four times a year. The Chairman of the Assembly Council is the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Sergei Mironov. The preparation of the events of the IPA and its Council is carried out by the Secretariat (located in St. Petersburg) with the institute of permanent representatives of national parliaments. At the post general secretary The council is Mikhail Krotov; permanent representatives of parliaments are deputy secretaries general by office.

There are also permanent commissions of the IPA: on legal issues; in economics and finance; on social policy and human rights; on ecology and natural resources; on defense and security issues; science and education; on culture, information, tourism and sports; on foreign policy issues; to study the experience of state building and local self-government; there is also a control and budget commission.

IPA maintains contractual relations with the Parliamentary Assembly Northern Europe, The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Central American Parliament, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, etc.

The CIS Human Rights Commission is a body overseeing the implementation of human rights obligations undertaken by the CIS countries. Established in accordance with the CHS decision on the approval of the Statute on the Commission on Human Rights (September 24, 1993) and the CIS Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (May 26, 1995). In accordance with the convention, the regulation on the commission entered into force on August 11, 1998. It should include representatives of the member states, and the chairmanship should be carried out in turn. Minsk was elected as the seat of the commission. Until now, the commission has not been formed.

CIS executive bodies.

The CIS Executive Committee was formed by the decision of the Council of CIS Heads of State on April 2, 1999 on the basis of the CIS Executive Secretariat, the staff of the Interstate Economic Committee Economic Union, working offices of a number of interstate and intergovernmental sectoral bodies. The Committee is called upon to ensure the activities of the Councils of Heads of State, Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers and the Economic Council; develop proposals for a CIS strategy; carry out legal processing of documents; analyze the progress of implementation of decisions and agreements, as well as systematic informing of the highest bodies of the Commonwealth. The Executive Committee is a permanent body, the seat of the committee is Minsk. The Chairman of the Executive Committee is appointed by the Council of Heads of State. In 1999, Vladimir Rushailo was appointed chairman of the committee.

The CIS Economic Council is the main executive body that ensures the implementation of agreements and decisions of the CHS and CHS concerning the formation and operation of a free trade zone, as well as other issues of socio-economic cooperation. It is accountable to the CHS and the Commonwealth CHS, established in accordance with the CHS decision on improving and reforming the structure of the CIS bodies (April 2, 1999). The Regulation on the Economic Council was approved in January 2000. The Council is called upon to promote the deepening of economic cooperation within the CIS, the formation of a free trade zone and free movement of goods, services, labor and capital. Its tasks include the development of proposals for cooperation between firms, joint programs and projects for the development of industry, agriculture, transport and resource development; expanding cooperation in education, health care, social protection and culture. The Council develops and submits for consideration by the CHS and CHS draft relevant decisions and provides them with reports on development trends, reviews the progress in fulfilling obligations, conducts economic consultations, collects information, etc.

The Economic Council consists of deputy heads of government of the CIS member states. Its meetings are held at least once a quarter. The chairman of the council is the Minister of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation Viktor Khristenko. The permanent body of the Economic Council is the Commission on Economic Affairs (located in Moscow), consisting of plenipotentiary representatives of states at the Economic Council and meeting at least once a month.

The Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries of the Commonwealth Member States to the statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth. Established in accordance with the decision of the Council of Foreign Ministers. Meetings of the Council are held at least once a month. Chairman - Amirkhon Safarov, Permanent Plenipotentiary Representative of Tajikistan.

Sectoral cooperation bodies.

Within the framework of the CIS, approx. 70 bodies of sectoral cooperation, which are designed to promote the development of multilateral interaction of the member states. They agree on the principles and rules of such cooperation in specific areas of the economy, science, humanitarian sphere, military development, etc. and contribute to the implementation of practical agreements. As a rule, these bodies include the heads of the relevant executive authorities of the CIS countries. Bodies of sectoral cooperation, within their competence, accept recommendations, and also submit proposals for consideration by the Council of Heads of Government.

The following sectoral bodies are currently operating. In the field of industry and construction:

- The Interstate Council of Heads of Ministries and Departments for Cooperation in the Field of Mechanical Engineering (established 1993); Interstate Council for Antimonopoly Policy (1993); Intergovernmental Council for Cooperation in Construction Activities (1994); Advisory Council for the Support and Development of Small Business (1997); Interstate Council for Industrial Safety (2001); Advisory Council of Heads of State (Executive) Power Bodies Managing State Material Reserves (2004).

In the field of agriculture:

– Intergovernmental Council for the Agro-Industrial Complex (1993); Intergovernmental Council for Veterinary Cooperation (1993/1995); Intergovernmental Seed Coordination Council (1996).

In the field of transport and communications:

- Council on Aviation and the Use of Airspace (1991); Interstate Space Council (1991); Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (1991); Railroad Council (1992); Interstate Advisory Council "Radio Navigation" (1993); Coordinating Council for Intergovernmental Courier Communications (1993); Coordination transport meeting; Intergovernmental Council of Road Workers (1998); Interstate Coordination Council of the Interstate TV and Radio Company "Mir" (2005).

In the field of scientific and technological progress:

- Interstate Coordination Council for Scientific and Technical Information (1992); Interstate Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (1992); Interstate Council for the Protection of Industrial Property (1993); Interstate Scientific and Technical Council (1995); Coordination Council for Informatization (2002); Administrative Council of the Eurasian Patent Organization.

In the field of energy:

– Electricity Council (1992); Intergovernmental Council on Oil and Gas (1993); Intergovernmental Council for Cooperation in the Field of Chemistry and Petrochemistry (1993); Commission on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (1997).

In the field of natural resources:

- Intergovernmental Council for the Exploration, Use and Protection of Subsoil (1997); Intergovernmental Council on Timber and Forestry (1998).

In the field of trade, finance, customs policy and insurance:

– Council of Heads of Foreign Economic Agencies; Interstate Bank (1993); Council of Heads of Customs Services (1993); Interstate Monetary Committee (1995); Interstate Council for Exhibition and Fair Activities (1995); Leasing Confederation (1997); International Association of Exchanges (2000); Council of Chief Executives of Supreme Audit Institutions (2000); Coordination Council for accounting at the Executive Committee of the CIS (2000); Council of Leaders of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (2002); Council of Heads of State Bodies for Market Regulation valuable papers(2003); Interstate Coordination Council of Heads of Insurance Supervision Bodies (2005).

In the field of ecology:

– Interstate Environmental Council (1992); Interstate Council for Hydrometeorology (1992); Interstate Council for Geodesy, Cartography, Cadastre and remote sensing Lands (1992).

In the field of natural and man-made emergencies:

- Interstate Council for Natural and Technogenic Emergencies (1993).

In the field of security and the fight against crime:

- Council of Ministers of the Interior (1996); Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services (1997); Coordination Council of Prosecutors General (2000); The Joint Working Commission of the States Parties to the Agreement on Cooperation in the Suppression of Offenses in the Field of Intellectual Property (2000); Anti-Terrorism Center (2000); Coordination Council of Heads of Tax Investigation Bodies (2000); Joint Commission of the States Parties to the Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Illegal Migration (2004); Bureau for the coordination of the fight against organized crime and other types of crime in the CIS.

In the field of education, culture and social policy:

- Advisory Council on Labor, Migration and Social Protection of the Population (1992); Health Cooperation Council (1992); Committee for Internationalist Warriors under the Council of Heads of Government (1992); Council of Presidents of Defense Sports and Technical Organizations (Societies) (1993); Tourism Council of the States Parties to the Agreement (1994); Council for Cooperation in the Field of Culture (1995); Council for Cooperation in the Field of Education (1997); Section on Interlibrary Exchange (1999). Meetings of the Interstate Committee for the Extension of Knowledge and Adult Education (1997) have not been held since 2002.

In the field of law:

- Scientific Advisory Center for Private Law of the CIS (1994); Council of Presidents of Supreme Arbitration, Economic, Economic and Other Courts Resolving Cases in Disputes in the Sphere of Economics (2002); Legal Advisory Board; The Advisory Committee of the Heads of Legal Services of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (2004); Council of Ministers of Justice (2005); CIS Observer Mission for Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.

In the field of information and statistics:

- Council of Heads of Statistical Services (1991); Council of Heads of State Information Services (Informsovet, 1995); Interstate Council for Cooperation in the Field of Periodicals, Book Publishing, Book Distribution and Printing (1999); Advisory Council for Heads of State Archival Services (2004).

The Joint Consultative Commission on Disarmament Matters (1992) does not function. The work of the interim operational working group of the CIS on the settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia (1999) has been suspended.

Within the framework of the CIS, a number of specialized international organizations have also been created: the Coordination Council of the International Union "Commonwealth of Public Organizations of Veterans (Pensioners) independent states"(1991); Interstate TV and Radio Company "Mir" (1992); International union consumer cooperation (1992); International Academy of Viticulture and Winemaking (1996); International Agro-Industrial Union (Soyuzagro, 2002), etc.

CIS reforms.

From the beginning. In the 2000s, some participating countries put forward proposals for reforming the Commonwealth of Independent States. On September 16, 2004, the Council of Heads of State made a fundamental decision on the need to reform the CIS bodies. This topic was discussed at the meetings of representatives of the foreign ministries of the member states and expert meetings, and in August 2005 it was considered at the meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers. The developed proposals formed the basis of the draft document presented to the participants of the CHS meeting (Kazan, August 26, 2005).

Improving and reforming the CIS bodies is aimed at implementing measures to further revitalize the activities of the Commonwealth bodies and strengthen the integration processes. In the field of economic cooperation, it is envisaged to increase the responsibility of the Economic Council and the Commission on Economic Affairs for the implementation of relevant decisions, expand the functions of the Interstate Statistical Committee, give the Council of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the CIS bodies the status of a Commonwealth body, and study ways to increase the efficiency of the Economic Court.

In the field of military cooperation, it was decided to abolish the Coordination Headquarters and transfer its functions to the Secretariat of the Council of Defense Ministers, to reduce the Coordination Service of the Council of Border Troops Commanders by 10% and to intensify interaction within the framework of the Coordination Meeting of the heads of the security agencies of the CIS countries (includes the Coordination Council of General Prosecutors, the Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs, Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services, Council of Commanders of Border Troops, Coordination Council of Heads of Tax (Financial) Investigation Bodies, Council of Heads of Customs Services with the participation of heads of ministries of foreign affairs).

Preparation of reforms in the CIS executive apparatus continues: optimization of the structure and activities of the Executive Committee (these decisions should be made by the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries of the Member States) and an inventory of sectoral cooperation bodies (the Executive Committee and the Council of Representatives should submit recommendations for consideration by the Councils of Heads states and governments). The Council of Ministers of Justice of the CIS states was formed and the regulations on it and on the Interstate Council of Heads of Supreme Financial Control Bodies of the CIS Member States were approved.

The CHS continues to take inventory of the legal framework of the Commonwealth. The Executive Committee and the Council of Representatives were instructed to analyze the methods of decision-making in the CIS bodies, based on the practice of international organizations. The Executive Committee and the Council of Representatives should also prepare proposals to improve the work of the CIS Observer Mission in elections and referendums and consider additional proposals of states to improve cooperation within the CIS, including conceptual issues, financing, etc. Russia proposed creating a "high-level group" in the Commonwealth with the participation of persons enjoying authority in the member states (modeled on the "group of wise men" of the UN). 2006 was declared the “year of the CIS”.

The participants of the meeting in Kazan (August 2005) approved the Concept of a Coordinated Border Policy, the Protocol on the Approval of the Regulation on the Organization of Interaction between the Border and Other Agencies of the Participating States in Assisting in the Emergence and Management / Elimination of Crisis Situations at External Borders, the Program of Cooperation in Counteracting Illegal Migration to 2006-2008 and the Program of Cooperation in Combating Terrorism and Other Violent Manifestations of Extremism for 2005-2007. Proposals made by Ukraine regarding cooperation in the field of pensions, international legal consolidation state borders CIS countries, the creation of transport and energy corridors and a number of other issues were referred to the Executive Committee and the Economic Council of the Commonwealth for consideration.

Internet resources: http://cis.minsk.by/

http://pravo.kulichki.ru/zak/megd/

http://www.kaznachey.com/azs/337/

Literature:

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Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States... Commonwealth. 1993, no. 1
Moiseev E.G. International legal framework for cooperation between the CIS countries... M., 1997
Construction complex in Russia and the CIS member states. Annual Directory... M., 1997
Mikhaleva N.A. Workshop on constitutional law of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. M., 1998
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Collection of legal acts adopted at a meeting of the Council for Railway Transport of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States on passenger transportation... M., 1998
Commonwealth of Independent States. A quick reference of preliminary statistical totals... M., 1998
The joint innovative development CIS member states... SPb., 1998
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Lazutova M.N., Selezneva N.A., Subetto A.I. Comparative analysis of the laws on education of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States... M., 2000
Decisions of the Economic Court of the Commonwealth of Independent States(1994-2000.). Minsk, 2000
Modern economic and social development of the CIS countries at the turn of the XXI century(problems and prospects). SPb, 2000
Commonwealth of Independent States. Statistical Yearbook... M., 2000
Socio-economic problems of a transitional society from the practice of the CIS countries. M., 2000
The countries of the Customs Union: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. M., 2000
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Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - regional international organization ( international treaty), designed to regulate relations of cooperation between countries that were previously part of the USSR. The CIS is not a supranational entity and operates on a voluntary basis.

Organization creation

The CIS was founded by the heads of the BSSR, the RSFSR and the Ukrainian SSR by signing on December 8, 1991 in Viskuli (Belovezhskaya Pushcha) near Brest (Belarus), the "Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States" (known in the media as the Belovezhskaya Agreement).

The document, which consisted of a Preamble and 14 articles, stated that the USSR ceased to exist as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality. However, based on the historical community of peoples, the ties between them, taking into account bilateral treaties, the desire for a democratic rule of law, the intention to develop their relations on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for state sovereignty, the parties agreed to form the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Already on December 10, the agreement was ratified by the Supreme Soviets of Belarus and Ukraine, and on December 12 - by the Supreme Soviet of Russia. The Russian parliament ratified the document with an overwhelming majority of votes: “for” - 188 votes, “against” - 6 votes, “abstained” - 7. On December 13, in the city of Ashgabat, a meeting of the presidents of five Central Asian states that were part of the USSR took place: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The result was a Statement in which the countries expressed their consent to join the organization, but subject to ensuring equal participation of the subjects of the former Union and the recognition of all CIS states as founders. Subsequently, the President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev proposed to gather in Alma-Ata to discuss issues and make joint decisions.

The meeting, organized specifically for these purposes, was attended by the heads of 11 former union republics: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Georgia were absent from the former union republics) ... The result was the signing on December 21, 1991 of the Alma-Ata Declaration, which outlined the goals and principles of the CIS. It enshrined the provision that the interaction of the members of the organization "will be carried out on the principle of equality through coordinating institutions formed on a parity basis and acting in the manner determined by agreements between the members of the Commonwealth, which is neither a state nor a supranational entity." Also, the unified command of the military-strategic forces and the unified control over nuclear weapons were retained, the parties' respect for the desire to achieve the status of a nuclear-free and (or) neutral state, commitment to cooperation in the formation and development of a common economic space was recorded. The fact of the termination of the existence of the USSR with the formation of the CIS was stated.

The Alma-Ata meeting became important milestone in state building in the post-Soviet space, since it completed the process of transforming the former republics of the USSR into sovereign states (SSG). The last states to ratify the Alma-Ata Declaration were Azerbaijan (September 24, 1993) and Moldova (April 8, 1994), which were previously associated members of the organization. In 1993 Georgia became a full member of the CIS.

The first years of the organization's existence were largely devoted to organizational issues. At the first meeting of the CIS heads of state, which took place on December 30, 1991 in Minsk, the "Interim Agreement on the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States" was signed, which established the supreme body of the organization, the Council of Heads of State. In it, each state has one vote, and decisions are made by consensus. In addition, the "Agreement of the Council of Heads of States Parties of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the Armed Forces and Border Troops" was signed, according to which the participating States confirmed their legal right to create their own Armed Forces.

The organizational stage ended in 1993, when on January 22, in Minsk, the "Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States" was adopted, the fundamental document of the organization. On March 15, 1996, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 157-II GD "On the legal force for the Russian Federation - Russia of the results of the USSR referendum on March 17, 1991 on the issue of preserving the USSR"; clause 3 read: "To confirm that the Agreement on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States of December 8, 1991, signed by the President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin and the State Secretary of the RSFSR G.E. power of the RSFSR - did not have and does not have legal force in the part related to the termination of the existence of the USSR ".

The largest cities of the CIS are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tashkent, Kiev, Baku, Minsk, Alma-Ata.

Member States of the organization

According to the current Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States the founding states organizations are those states that, by the time the Charter was adopted, signed and ratified the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS of December 8, 1991 and the Protocol to this Agreement of December 21, 1991. Member States The Commonwealth is those founding states that have assumed the obligations arising from the Charter, within 1 year after its adoption by the Council of Heads of State.

To join the organization, a potential member must share the goals and principles of the CIS, having assumed the obligations contained in the Charter, as well as obtain the consent of all member states. In addition, the Charter provides for the categories associate members(these are the states participating in certain activities of the organization, on the terms determined by the associate membership agreement) and observers(these are states whose representatives can attend meetings of the Commonwealth bodies by decision of the Council of Heads of State).

The current Charter regulates the procedure for the withdrawal of a member state from the Commonwealth. To this end, the Member State must notify in writing the depositary of the Statute 12 months before withdrawal. At the same time, the state is obliged to fully fulfill the obligations that arose during the period of participation in the Charter.

State			Date of ratification Of the CIS Charter
	not signed
	not signed
	not signed
	not signed		not signed
			not signed
	not signed

• Turkmenistan: At the Kazan CIS summit held on 26 August 2005, Turkmenistan announced that it would participate in the organization as "Associate member".
• Ukraine: Ukraine has not ratified the CIS Charter, therefore, de jure, it is not a CIS member state, referring to the founding states and member states of the Commonwealth.
• Georgia: On December 3, 1993, Georgia ratified the Protocol to the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS, on April 19, 1994 - the CIS Charter. On August 12, 2008, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced his desire to leave the state from the CIS, on August 14, 2008, the Georgian parliament adopted a unanimous (117 votes) decision to withdraw Georgia from the organization. According to the CIS Charter (Article 9, Section I), a member state has the right to withdraw from the Commonwealth. It shall notify such intention in writing to the depositary of these Articles of Association 12 months before the release. At the same time, the obligations arising during the period of participation in this Charter bind the respective states until their full implementation On October 9, 2008, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries made a formal decision to terminate Georgia's membership in the Commonwealth from August 2009 On August 18, 2009 Georgia officially left the CIS.
• Mongolia participates in some CIS structures as an observer
• Afghanistan in 2008 declared its desire to join the CIS, is an observer in the Interparliamentary Assembly.

Over the years, the authorities of a number of unrecognized states, autonomous regions, as well as UN member states have announced their intention to enter the CIS. Until now, such declarations have not been practically continued. The statements of the self-proclaimed state formations, in all likelihood, should be considered as an element of the struggle of these state formations for gaining independence, since about real opportunity there is no need to say that such a step has been taken. According to the CIS Charter, the acceptance of a new member of this organization with an independent status requires the consent of the existing members, which in fact would mean encouraging separatism on the territory of the partner states and could lead to unpredictable consequences. Such declarations were made by:

• December 1991 and August 1992 (parliament), January 1996, May 2006, September 2008 - President of the Republic of Abkhazia,
• August 1993 - NKR parliament
• December 1991, May 1992, January 1993 (parliament), January 1994 and May 2006 - President of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika
• December 1996 (President), July 1998 - Parliament and President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
• December 26, 1991 - Tatarstan ("Declaration on the entry of the Republic of Tatarstan into the CIS")
• December 1991 and May 1992 (parliament), March 1994 - President of the Republic of Crimea (Crimea, as a part of Ukraine, is already an observer in the CIS)
• February 1995 - President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina in Croatia
• April 11, 1999 - President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Organization goals

The CIS is based on the principles of sovereign equality of all its members, therefore all member states are independent subjects of international law. The Commonwealth is not a state and does not have supranational powers.

The main goals of the organization are:

• cooperation in political, economic, environmental, humanitarian, cultural and other fields;
• all-round development of the member states within the framework of the common economic space, interstate cooperation and integration;
• ensuring human rights and freedoms;
• cooperation in ensuring international peace and security, achieving general and complete disarmament;
• mutual legal assistance;
• peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts between the states of the organization.

The areas of joint activity of the member states include:

• ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms;
• coordination of foreign policy activities;
• cooperation in the formation and development of a common economic space, customs policy;
• cooperation in the development of transport and communication systems;
• health and environmental protection;
• social and migration policy issues;
• the fight against organized crime;
• cooperation in the field of defense policy and the protection of external borders.

CIS bodies

The supreme body of the organization is the Council of the Heads of State of the CIS, in which all member states are represented and which discusses and decides fundamental issues related to the activities of the organization. The Council of Heads of State meets twice a year. The Council of CIS Heads of Government coordinates cooperation between the executive authorities of the member states in economic, social and other areas of common interests. Collected four times a year. All decisions both in the Council of Heads of State and in the Council of Heads of Government are taken by consensus. The heads of these two bodies of the CIS preside in turn in the order of the Russian alphabet of the names of the member states of the Commonwealth.

• Kuchma, Leonid Danilovich
• Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich
• Medvedev, Dmitry Anatolyevich (2010)

The permanent body of the CIS is the CIS Executive Committee in Minsk (Belarus).

• Vladimir Putin.

• Sergey Lavrov

CIS Executive Secretaries

The position of Executive Secretary was introduced in 1993:

Other CIS bodies

• CIS Council of Foreign Ministers
• CIS Defense Ministers Council
• Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs of the CIS Member States
• CIS Joint Armed Forces Council
• Council of Commanders of the CIS Border Troops
• Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS Member States
• Interstate Economic Council of the CIS
• Economic court
• CIS Statistical Committee
• CIS Financial and Banking Council
• Anti-Terrorist Center of the CIS Member States
• Human Rights Commission, etc.
• CIS Coordination and Consultative Committee
• CIS Executive Committee
• Interstate Economic Committee of the CIS
• CIS Economic Council
• Interstate bank

Alternative integration forms

The CIS as an international organization has too few "points of contact" between its members. This makes the leaders of the Commonwealth countries look for alternative integration options. In the CIS space, several organizations have formed with more specific general goals and problems:

• The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
• - The task of the CSTO is to coordinate and unite efforts in the fight against international terrorism and extremism, trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Thanks to this organization, created on October 7, 2002, Russia maintains its military presence in Central Asia.
• Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
• - Priority directions activities - increasing trade between the participating countries, integration in the financial sector, unification of customs and tax laws. EurAsEC began in 1992 with the Customs Union, formed to reduce customs barriers. In 2000, the Customs Union grew into a community of five CIS countries, in which Moldova and Ukraine have observer status.
• Central Asian Cooperation (CAC) - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia (since 2004). On October 6, 2005, at the CAC summit, a decision was made, in connection with the forthcoming entry of Uzbekistan into the EurAsEC, to prepare documents for the creation of a united CAC-EurAsEC organization - that is, in fact, it was decided to abolish the CAC.
• Shanghai Organization Cooperation (SCO) - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China
• Common Economic Space (CES) - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine
• - An agreement on the prospect of creating a Common Economic Space, in which there will be no customs barriers, and tariffs and taxes will be uniform, was reached on February 23, 2003, but the creation was postponed until 2005. (For the attitude of the new Ukrainian leadership to participation in this union of states, see Foreign Policy Ukraine).
• Union State of Russia and Belarus.

In all these organizations, Russia actually acts as a leading force (only in the SCO does it share this role with China).

Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova are members of GUAM, an organization created in October 1997 and named after the first letters of the names of its members.

On December 2, 2005, the creation of the Commonwealth of Democratic Choice (CDC) was announced, which included Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Macedonia, Slovenia and Georgia. The initiators of the creation of the Community were Viktor Yushchenko and Mikhail Saakashvili. The declaration on the creation of the community states: "the participants will support the development of democratic processes and the creation of democratic institutions, exchange experiences in strengthening democracy and respect for human rights, and coordinate efforts to support new and emerging democratic societies."

CIS - military organizations

At the September (2004) CIS summit in Astana (Kazakhstan), a decision was made to reform the structures of the CIS - in particular, to create a CIS Security Council for the fight against terrorism.

Currently, there are two parallel collective military structures within the CIS.

One of them is the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS, created in 1992 to develop a unified military policy. Under him there is a permanent secretariat and the Headquarters for the Coordination of Military Cooperation of the CIS (SHKVS).

The second is the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Within the framework of the CSTO, collective rapid deployment forces have been created as part of several battalions of mobile troops, a helicopter squadron, and army aviation.

In 2002-2004, military cooperation developed mainly within the framework of the CSTO. Joint exercises are regularly held in the CSTO.

One of the defense structures is the CIS Joint Air Defense System. In 2005, within the framework of the CIS, allocations for air defense were approved in the amount of 2.3 billion rubles. against 800 million rubles. in 2004.

Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the CIS

• Shaposhnikov, Evgeny Ivanovich (1992-1993)

Boss General Staff CIS Joint Armed Forces - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the CIS Joint Armed Forces

• Samsonov, Viktor Nikolaevich (1992-1993)

Chiefs of Staff for the Coordination of Military Cooperation of the CIS Member States

1. Samsonov, Viktor Nikolaevich (1993-1997)
2. Prudnikov, Viktor Alekseevich (1997-2001)
3. Yakovlev, Vladimir Nikolaevich (2001-2006)

Secretaries of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS Member States

1. Ivashov, Leonid Grigorievich (1992-1996)
2. Volkov, Vasily Petrovich (1996-1999)
3. Sinaisky, Alexander Sergeevich (since 1999)

Russia and CIS

In July 2004, at a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation devoted to Russia's policy in the CIS, Vladimir Putin, who was at that time in the post of president, admitted: “We have come to a certain milestone in the development of the CIS. Either we will achieve a qualitative strengthening of the CIS, create on its basis a really working, influential regional structure in the world, or we will inevitably face the “erosion” of this geopolitical space and, as a result, a final drop in interest in working in the Commonwealth among its member states. "

In March 2005, after Russian leadership suffered a number of tangible political failures in relations with the former republics of the USSR (Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova), and in the midst of the crisis of power in Kyrgyzstan, Vladimir Putin spoke out more categorically: “All disappointments are from an excess of expectations ... If someone expected from Of course, the CIS did not have any special achievements in the economy, politics or in the military sphere, as it could not have happened. The goals were programmed the same, but in fact the process after the collapse of the USSR took place in a different way ... ”. As Putin put it, the CIS was created for the "civilized divorce" of the post-Soviet countries, and everything else is "political husk and chatter." The real integration instruments, in his opinion, are now such associations as the EurAsEC and the emerging Common Economic Space (CES). As for the CIS, according to Putin, it plays the role of "a very useful club for identifying the views of the leaders of states on the existing problems of a humanitarian and economic nature."

In connection with the growth of centrifugal processes in the CIS, in recent years the question of the need to reform it has been repeatedly raised. At the same time, there is no consensus on the possible directions of this process. In July 2006, at an informal summit of the heads of state of the Commonwealth, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed his own version - he believes that the CIS should focus on the following areas of cooperation:

• coordinated migration policy;
• development of unified transport communications;
• interaction in scientific, educational, cultural and humanitarian spheres;
• cooperation in the fight against cross-border crime.

As some media outlets noted, in 2006 skepticism about the viability and effectiveness of the CIS was also associated with trade wars between Russia, on the one hand, and Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, on the other, but especially with a sharp aggravation of relations between Russia and Georgia. ... Recent events, according to some observers, have put the CIS on the brink of survival, since Russian sanctions against a country that is a member of the CIS turned out to be unprecedented.

In addition, as many observers note, by the end of 2005, Russia's policy towards the CIS states (and the post-Soviet states in general) began to be “shaped” by the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom. The prices for the supplied natural gas have become an effective tool for encouraging and punishing the CIS states, depending on their policy towards Russia:

• In July 2005, a gradual increase in gas prices for the Baltic states was announced to the European level of $ 120-125. In 2005, the price of 1,000 m³ of gas was $ 92-94 for Latvia, $ 85 for Lithuania, and $ 90 for Estonia.
• In September 2005, it was announced that the gas price for Georgia in 2006 would rise from $ 62.5 to $ 110. For 2007, Gazprom is offering gas to Georgia for $ 235.
• In November 2005, an increase in prices for Armenia was announced to $ 110 (the contract for 2005 provided for the supply of 1.7 billion cubic meters at $ 54). The leadership of Armenia, a strategic ally in Russia in the Transcaucasus, expressed concern that the republic would not be able to afford to buy gas at such a price. Russia offered to provide Armenia with an interest-free loan to compensate for the increased gas prices. As an alternative solution, it was proposed to transfer one of the power units of the Hrazdan TPP and the entire gas transportation system of the republic to the ownership of Russia. Despite warnings from the Armenian side that such steps may have Negative consequences for the Armenian-Russian relations, it was only possible to achieve a postponement of the price increase until April 1, 2006.
• In November 2005, an increase in prices for Moldova in 2006 was announced to $ 160. In 2005, Gazprom supplied Moldova with gas at $ 80 per 1,000 m³. For 2007, it has been agreed to increase the price of Russian gas up to $ 170.
• In December 2005, Gazprom and Azerbaijan agreed to switch to payment for gas supplies and transit at market prices. In 2006, Azerbaijan received gas from Gazprom at $ 110 per thousand cubic meters (in 2005 - $ 60). In 2007, Gazprom wants to supply gas for $ 235.
• In December 2005, a conflict erupted over gas prices for 2006 for Ukraine. Russia demanded from January 1, 2006 to raise the price from $ 50 per 1,000 m³ to $ 160, and then, since the negotiations did not lead to any results, to $ 230. The agreement on gas supplies in 2006 (at a price of $ 95) was signed only on January 4, 2006 (see the article Foreign economic policy of Ukraine).
• Belarus in this regard can be considered privileged position... In March 2005, an increase in gas tariffs for Belarus was announced, however, on April 4, Vladimir Putin promised to keep selling prices at the same level, and on December 19, a final agreement was reached on the supply of 21 billion cubic meters of gas to Belarus in 2006 at 46.68 $ per 1,000 m³ (that is, the price has remained unchanged from previous years). Immediately after the presidential elections in Belarus, he again announced his intention to increase the gas price. After a long showdown, the price for 2007-2011 was set at $ 100 / thousand. m³.

After Russia switched to market prices for gas supplied to its partners in the CIS, the Commonwealth lost one of the unifying factors - low prices for gas and oil. At the same time, throughout 2006, the Russian leadership made efforts to form, on the basis of the CIS, a kind of union of states connected by a system of oil and gas pipelines and recognizing the leading and key role of Russia as a monopoly supplier of energy resources to Europe from the entire post-Soviet space. Neighboring states in this structure should play the role of either suppliers of their gas to Russian pipelines (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), or transit countries (Ukraine, Belarus). The pledge of the energy union was to be the sale or exchange of energy and energy transport assets. Thus, an agreement was reached with Turkmenistan on the export of its gas through Gazprom. In Uzbekistan, Russian companies are developing local energy deposits. In Armenia, Gazprom acquired the ownership of the main gas pipeline from Iran. An agreement was reached with Moldova that Moldovgaz, 50% of which belongs to Gazprom, will carry out an additional issue of shares, which Moldova will pay by contributing gas distribution networks to the company, and Gazprom - cash.

CIS Interparliamentary Assembly

The IPA includes members of the parliaments of the CIS member states - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia (since 1995), Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgia (since 1997), Ukraine (since 1999).

Parties represented: United Russia, Fair Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Motherland, People's Bloc of Lytvyn, Party of Regions, Communist Party of Ukraine, Batkivshchyna, Nur-Otan, United Azerbaijan, People's Party of Armenia, Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova , Party of Regions, Our Ukraine, LDPU, NDP, Adalet.

The Chairman of the Assembly is Sergei Mironov, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Place of residence - St. Petersburg.

Criticism

• In the recent history of the CIS countries, conflicts and even open military clashes, both intrastate and interstate, have occurred more than once (see Hot spots in the post-Soviet space). The problem of xenophobia and intolerance on ethnic grounds, as well as the problem of illegal immigration, is still far from being resolved. Economic conflicts are widespread, for example between Belarus and Russia, Ukraine and Russia over commodity tariffs. Russia, as the largest CIS member with the highest military and economic potential, has been repeatedly accused of violating a fundamental agreement on the CIS - ignorance of intelligence activities within the CIS.
• From the point of view of geopolitics, the CIS does not formally aim at any return to the past, when all modern sovereign states were part of the first Russian Empire, and later the USSR, but in reality the official power of Russia, both in its own speeches and through the media, very often voices criticism of the authorities of other participating countries. Most often, they are ascribed disrespect to the common past with Russia, acting under dictation developed countries The West (primarily the United States), revanchist sentiments (presentation of the events of the Second World War in a light that contradicts the official Soviet, Russian and generally recognized world historiography).

What is the CIS? What are the goals of this international organization? And how close is cooperation in the "Russia - CIS countries" system? This will be discussed in this article.

The history of the organization

The CIS is a voluntary international organization in Eurasia, created with the aim of strengthening cooperation between states. The abbreviation stands for "Commonwealth of Independent States". Which states are members of the CIS? The countries that were once part of the former USSR formed the backbone of this international organization.

The leaders of three countries - Russia, Ukraine and Belarus - took part in the creation of the organization. The corresponding agreement was signed by them in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in December 1991. By the same step, it was recognized that the Soviet Union, as a state entity, had ceased to exist. This is how the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was born.

Countries were part of this organization on the basis of a common history, common roots and proximity of cultures. And the main goal of the future organization was the desire to develop and deepen relations between young sovereign countries.

Five days after the meeting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the heads of the five states of Central Asia also announced their intention to join the Commonwealth on equal terms. The main postulates of the organization's activities were declared by its members on December 21, 1991 in Alma-Ata. The last to join the organization were Georgia (in 1993) and Moldova (in 1994). And in January 1993, the Charter was approved in Minsk - the main document of this Eurasian organization.

An important date in the development of cooperation between members of the organization was October 18, 2011. On this day, eight members of the organization created a single free trade zone within the Commonwealth.

CIS countries: list

At the moment, the organization has 9 members. Which countries are members of the CIS today?

According to the Charter of the organization, only those countries that have ratified the agreement on its creation are considered members of the CIS. It is worth noting that some of the participating countries (in particular, Russia and Ukraine) did not complete this formality. Therefore, purely legally (in terms of securities), they cannot be considered members of the CIS.

The countries that are members of the organization are listed below. All of them, to a greater or lesser extent, have contributed to the development of this structure. So, the CIS countries (list):

1. Russia.
2. Belarus.
3. Armenia.
4. Azerbaijan.
5. Moldova.
6. Kazakhstan.
7. Kyrgyzstan.
8. Tajikistan.
9. Uzbekistan.

Two more states (this is Turkmenistan and Ukraine) have the status of "observers" in this organization.

In 2009, in connection with the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia leaves the Commonwealth. In the fall of 2014, the process of withdrawing from the CIS was also initiated in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Among other things, those states that had nothing to do with the USSR expressed a desire to join the organization. In particular, we are talking about Mongolia and Afghanistan. Today these countries are observers in individual bodies of the Commonwealth.

The structure and main objectives of the CIS

The modern structure of the Commonwealth is represented by several dozen different bodies. All important decisions are discussed and adopted at the Council of Heads of CIS countries. Today, the head of this Council is Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The activities of an international organization are based on the principle of equality of its members. TO overriding goals CIS activities include the following:

• close economic, political and cultural interaction between countries;
• monitoring the observance of human rights in all states;
• provision of mutual legal assistance;
• assistance to the peaceful settlement of all conflicts and disputes between the CIS member states.

Russia has been closely cooperating with the Commonwealth since the very first year of the organization's existence. Moreover, she is one of the three founders of the CIS.

Cooperation in the "Russia - CIS" system is carried out in the following areas:

• industry;
• construction complex;
• transport system and communications;
• science and higher education;
• trade and finance;
• military defense complex;
• security issues and the fight against terrorism.

With all CIS countries, Russia introduced visa-free regime... The annual trade turnover between Russia and the Commonwealth states is approximately $ 50 billion. Within the framework of the organization's activities, close cultural ties are also maintained between its members, which have developed over many years of common history.

Finally...

The Commonwealth of Independent States is an international organization of a regional scale. CIS members are countries that were previously part of the USSR. This international organization was created in December 1991, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, immediately after the collapse of the powerful superpower.

And Belarus. Currently, the CIS includes the following countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Ukraine.

The goals of this organization: coordination of the activities of the former republics of the USSR in the political, economic, cultural, military and other areas.

In January 1993, the CIS Charter was adopted, providing for the comprehensive and balanced development of the CIS member countries, the formation of a common economic space based on market relations, freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor and the consistent reduction and abolition of customs duties, taxes and fees.

With the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, more than 30 coordinating bodies were formed, including:

Statutory bodies of the CIS:

• Council of Heads of State;
• Council of Heads of Government;
• The Council of Foreign Ministers;
• The Council of Defense Ministers;
• The Council of Commanders of the Border Troops;
• Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS;
• Economic Court.

CIS executive bodies:

• CIS Economic Council;
• The Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries of the Member States of the Commonwealth to the statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth;
• CIS Executive Committee (located in Belarus, Minsk).

CIS sectoral cooperation bodies. The Charter provides for the creation of sectoral cooperation bodies of the Commonwealth, which are designed to help improve multilateral business interaction between states, agree on the principles and rules of cooperation between industries, and promote the practical implementation of agreements in specific areas of the economy, science, the humanitarian sphere, and military development.

As a rule, they include the heads of the relevant executive authorities of the member states of the Commonwealth.

One of the first, in December 1991, the Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth was created, which, in accordance with the decision of the Council of Heads of Government of May 26, 1995, was transformed into the Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth. The Committee develops and implements a unified statistical policy, forms consolidated statistical data within the CIS member states.

Interstate and intergovernmental councils operate in the field of economics, science, ecology, transport and coordinate the interaction of sectoral structures of the executive branch in the following areas:

• industry and construction;
• Agriculture;
• transport and communications;
• scientific and technical progress;
• energy;
• trade, finance and customs policy;
• environmental Safety;
• security and crime control.

In 1995, Russia entered the Customs Union with Belarus and, which were then joined by Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. And in 2000, this union was actually transformed into the Euro-Asian Economic Community, which aims to fully introduce a free trade regime, form a single customs tariff, a common energy market, etc. For the member states of this community, Russia has retained the former visa-free the regime, although in relations with some CIS countries (Georgia, Turkmenistan) it was canceled.

Belarus and Russia signed an agreement on the creation of the Union (in 1999), which will contribute to the closest integration of countries, and subsequently - the creation of a single currency and free movement of people, the organization of joint ventures. The existing trade relations between Russia and Belarus account for 40% of their total trade turnover with the CIS countries.

Generally international trade Russia with the CIS countries amounted to 51.5 billion dollars in 2005, which is significantly inferior to the scale of Russia's trade relations with non-CIS countries, especially Europe.

Russia and the CIS countries are united by historical and cultural ties formed on the basis of the interpenetration of cultures, with a special significance of Russian culture and language.

The military security of the CIS countries determines the need for their military interaction. At the same time, a special role belongs to the military potential of Russia - the only nuclear power CIS. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, which possessed nuclear weapons, transferred them to Russia. Russia also signed a Treaty of Friendship with Ukraine and, on whose territory there are Russian military bases (including the Black Sea navy Russia c), as well as an agreement on military-technical cooperation.

In 2002, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), an international military-political organization on the territory of the CIS, was created, which included the states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Moldova and Ukraine as observers.

Many geopolitical problems have arisen in Russia's relations with the near abroad, i.e. with other CIS countries. On the western border, this applies to a lesser extent to Belarus, but to a much greater extent to Ukraine and (and Sevastopol, the Black Sea Fleet, the status of Transnistria, tariffs for pumping Russian oil and natural gas to Europe Abroad). On the southern border, there was some cooling of relations with and, in particular, with (disagreements over the route of transporting Caspian oil, the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russian military bases, etc.) "Geopolitical vacuum" in Russia's relations with Kazakhstan and the states of Central Asia.

TASS-DOSSIER. On April 12, 2018, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko during the Kiev Security Forum said that he instructed the government to prepare proposals for the country's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The press service of the CIS Executive Committee said that no official notification from Ukraine regarding its withdrawal from the organization has yet been received.

What is the CIS

The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional interstate organization operating since December 1991. At present, it unites 11 states of the post-Soviet space: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine (from 1993 to 2009, the CIS also included Georgia).

The organization was formed on the basis of the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS of December 8, 1991, as well as the protocol to it and the Alma-Ata Declaration of December 21, 1991. The main tasks of the association are cooperation in the political, economic, social, cultural and other fields, the creation of a common economic space, the provision of human rights and freedoms, peace and security, the fight against organized crime, cooperation in the field of defense policy and the protection of external borders, etc. ...

Status of the CIS countries

According to the CIS charter of January 22, 1993, all countries that signed and ratified the documents establishing the organization in December 1991 are its founders or member states.

At the same time, the so-called members of the Commonwealth are only member states that have acceded to the organization's charter within one year after its adoption. In 1993, the charter was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Azerbaijan and Georgia. In 1994, Moldova joined them. And only two countries - Ukraine and Turkmenistan - have not joined the charter and do not formally have the status of a member of the CIS. Despite this, both the state-participant and the member of the Commonwealth have equal rights in the organization.

The only CIS state that has the status of an associate member of the organization (allows you to participate only in certain types of activities of the organization) is Turkmenistan (since 2005).

The procedure for joining and leaving the CIS

Any state that shares the goals and principles of the organization and assumes the obligations contained in its charter can become a member of the CIS. To leave the Commonwealth, a member of an organization must notify the depositary of the CIS charter (Minsk, Belarus) in writing about its intention 12 months before the intended withdrawal. Moreover, all obligations this state that arose during the period of his participation in the CIS must be fully implemented.

Earlier, only one country, Georgia, exercised the right to withdraw from the CIS. This decision was made by the Georgian authorities after the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in August 2008. On August 12, 2008, President Mikheil Saakashvili made a statement on withdrawal from the CIS, on August 14, the parliament of the republic adopted a resolution on its withdrawal from the organization's statutory documents, and on August 18, the Georgian Foreign Ministry sent a corresponding note to Minsk. The decision came into force on August 18, 2009.

Ukraine's initiatives to withdraw from the CIS

Since 2014, after the change of power in Ukraine and the entry of Crimea into Russia, official Kiev has actually not taken part in the activities of the CIS. The Ukrainian media have repeatedly reported about the country's possible withdrawal from the Commonwealth.

On March 19, 2014, Kiev suspended its chairmanship in the Commonwealth (according to the rotation, Ukraine has chaired the statutory bodies of the CIS since January 1, 2014 - note TASS-DOSSIER). Simultaneously Council national security and the defense of Ukraine said that the country will begin the procedure for withdrawing from the CIS. However, no official statement was sent to the organization's depository. In November 2014, a bill was introduced to the Verkhovna Rada to end Ukraine's participation in the Commonwealth bodies, which, however, was never put to a vote.

In April 2015, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin said that he considered the country's withdrawal from the CIS inappropriate. According to the minister, Kiev takes part in the events of the Commonwealth only when it needs to "achieve something."

In March 2018, Svetlana Zalishchuk, a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, announced that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry intends to submit to President Petro Poroshenko proposals to withdraw from the CIS bodies and denounce the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership with Russia.

Statistics

Ukraine is the third largest CIS state after Russia and Kazakhstan. Its area is 603 thousand 700 sq. km. According to the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee, the territory of Ukraine occupies 2.7% of the total area of ​​the Commonwealth (22 million 66 thousand 252 sq. Km). In terms of population - 42.2 million people - Ukraine is in second place in the CIS after Russia (14.7% of the total population of the CIS, which is 287.6 million people).

The share of Ukraine in the total trade turnover between the CIS countries in January-November 2017 amounted to 11.17% - $ 16.5 billion out of $ 147.7 billion.Export to the Commonwealth countries - $ 6.3 billion, Ukraine's imports from the CIS countries over the same period - $ 10.2 billion