Commonwealth of Independent States
- Full Member
- Participating member
- Co-opted member
- Former member
- Observer
The Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS briefly; Russian Содружество Независимых Государств ( СНГ ) / Sodruschestwo Nesawissimych Gossudarstw (SNG ), in Russian parlance Sodruschestwo ) is a regional international organization, in which various successor states of the Soviet Union have joined forces. It was founded on 8 December 1991 by the heads of state of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Headquarters of the CIS is the Belarusian capital Minsk, the Assembly meets in the Tauride Palace in St. Petersburg.
In the European policy is also called the New Independent States (NIS). The term CIS is often used to refer to the former members of the Soviet Union (excluding the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). The term Gussen (instead of Russians ) was occasionally used in the 1990s for residents of all CIS countries.
Development
The main reason for the formation of the CIS was in quest of various former republics of the Soviet Union, to create a common economic and security space, as the USSR had shown him. Especially Kazakhstan criticized the nature of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and emphasized the need for cooperation of the former Soviet republics.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was founded in December 1991 by an agreement between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and by the accession of a further eight, on the verge became independent from the Soviet Union Soviet republics.
In 1993, the number of members to Georgia, which had first taken from the CIS extended distance. Since February 2006, the Caucasus state no longer involved but on the meetings of the Defense Ministers of the CIS. As a result of military conflict over South Ossetia declared Georgia on 14 August 2008 his withdrawal from the CIS, however, because in the CIS treaty time limits set was valid until August 18, 2009.
Turkmenistan is only an adjunct member since August 25, 2005.
The office of the Ukrainian president said about the same time for resignation of Georgia, Ukraine considers himself no more than CIS member, as the country had not ratified the CIS Statute, the President himself has not yet, however, to expressed. Under the impact of the conflict between Russia and Georgia, however, deputies brought the coalition government also formally a draft law on the termination of the CIS membership to Ukraine's parliament. According to Article 9 of the CIS Regulations an outlet 12 months after the written notice by the depositary of the Statute ( Belarus ) is possible. Officially, however, wanted the Ukraine first further participate in the CIS Executive Council, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The founder Ukraine State is according to former Foreign Minister Ohrysko a participating State - no Member State.
At the EU summit in Prague on 7 May 2009, the six CIS members Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus with the European Union closed the Eastern Partnership. Russia has appealed against this step protest.
As a result of Krimkrise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said on March 19, 2014, to leave the presidency of the CIS, it occupies currently rest with immediate effect. On the same day the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine adopted the complete withdrawal of Ukraine from the organization.
Importance
In recent years, the CIS has lost its meaning. Your Member States meet still occasionally consultations, but summit involving all the CIS heads of state are not happened in years. Meanwhile, the Member States have different foreign policy orientations and priorities. Thus parallel alliances and structures such as the Integrated Community states the Eurasian Economic Community, the Organisation of the Collective Security Treaty, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the GUAM or the Russian -Belarusian Union ( Bulgaria, in 1996 the accession offered ), is formed.