Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) | Facts, Members, & History (2024)

international organization

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Also known as: CIS, Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Last Updated: Article History

Commonwealth of Independent States

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Russian:
Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv
Date:
December 21, 1991 - present
Areas Of Involvement:
policy
Related People:
Boris Yeltsin

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Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), free association of sovereign states that was formed in 1991 by Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had its origins on December 8, 1991, when the elected leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (Belorussia) signed an agreement forming a new association to replace the crumbling Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). The three Slavic republics were subsequently joined by the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, by the Transcaucasian republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and by Moldova. (The remaining former Soviet republics—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—declined to join the new organization.) The CIS formally came into being on December 21, 1991, and began operations the following month, with the city of Minsk in Belarus designated as its administrative centre.

The CIS’s functions are to coordinate its members’ policies regarding their economies, foreign relations, defense, immigration policies, environmental protection, and law enforcement. Its top governmental body is a council composed of the member republics’ heads of state (i.e., presidents) and of government (prime ministers), who are assisted by committees of republic cabinet ministers in key areas such as economics and defense. The CIS’s members pledged to keep both their armed forces and the former Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on their territories under a single unified command. In practice this proved difficult, however, as did the members’ efforts to coordinate the introduction of market-type mechanisms and private ownership into their respective economies.

More From Britannicamedicine: Former Soviet Union

In August 2008, following an escalation of hostilities between Russia and Georgia over the separatist region of South Ossetia, Georgia announced its intention to withdraw from the CIS. The withdrawal was finalized in August 2009. A similar proxy war broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014 after Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian autonomous republic of Crimea. By 2018 at least 10,000 people had been killed in clashes between Ukrainian armed forces and Russian-backed paramilitary units in the Donets Basin. In May of that year, Ukrainian Pres. Petro Poroshenko officially withdrew Ukraine’s membership from the CIS.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) | Facts, Members, & History (2024)

FAQs

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) | Facts, Members, & History? ›

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and is its legal successor. It covers an area of 20,368,759 km2 (7,864,422 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 239,796,010.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Commonwealth_of_Indepen...
) thus came to be established. It comprised 11 republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan (formal membership in 1993), Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (formal membership in 1994), Uzbekistan (formal membership in 1992), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

Who are the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States CIS? ›

Nine countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) are official members of the CIS. Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine are not official members but had previously participated in CIS activities, while Moldova has reduced its participation in recent years.

What is the history of the Commonwealth of Independent States? ›

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had its origins on December 8, 1991, when the elected leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (Belorussia) signed an agreement forming a new association to replace the crumbling Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.).

When did Ukraine leave the CIS? ›

On 19 May 2018, Poroshenko signed a decree formally ending Ukraine's participation in CIS statutory bodies.

How many members are there in the CIS? ›

Membership. 12 States — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

What is the largest country in the CIS? ›

Russia had the highest population count among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, at nearly 143.4 million in 2022, while the lowest figure was recorded in Moldova, at around 2.5 million.

What is CIS political? ›

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was created in December 1991 by eleven countries from the ex-USSR: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Moldavia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine.

What is CIS in the government? ›

Description: The Central Index System (CIS) is an internal OHS mission-critical electronic sysfem that contains records which serve as a finding aid to agency case files.

What are the 4 Commonwealth States in the United States? ›

There are four states in the United States that call themselves commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The distinction is in name alone. The commonwealths are just like any other state in their politics and laws, and there is no difference in their relationship to the nation as a whole.

Are Commonwealth states still states? ›

Commonwealths are states, but the reverse is not true. The term "Commonwealth" does not describe or provide for any specific political status or legal relationship when used by a state. Those that do use it are equal to those that do not.

What was Ukraine called before 1991? ›

From 1922 until 1991, Ukraine was the informal name of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union (annexed by Germany as Reichskommissariat Ukraine during 1941–1944).

Why was CIS introduced? ›

The construction industry tax scheme (CIS) was introduced in 1971 to combat serious tax evasion in the industry. Under the scheme, only those subcontractors issued with gross payment certificates (714 certificates) by the Revenue could be paid in full for construction work.

Is India a CIS country? ›

All matters relating to India's trade and economic cooperation with the CIS countries which consist of Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Belarus.

Who controlled the CIS? ›

The official leader of the Confederacy was a former Jedi Master named Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus, Darth Sidious's second known apprentice.

Why is the CIS called separatists? ›

The Confederacy of Independent Systems, abbreviated to CIS, and otherwise known as the Separatist Alliance, the Separatist State, the Separatist Confederacy, or simply referred to as the Separatists, was a confederation of outlaying star systems in the galaxy that had declared independence from the Galactic Republic, a ...

What is the current CIS? ›

There are 9 members of the CIS, the Commonwealth of Independent States. These are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

What are the 7 Commonwealth states? ›

In addition to Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the United States has two other commonwealths, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, but they are of a different kind. They are not states, and have only a nonvoting representative in Congress.

What is the flag of the CIS Commonwealth of Independent States? ›

The flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States (Russian: Флаг Содружества Независимых Государств) was adopted in 1996 and depicts a yellow sun on a dark blue field, with one straight and eight bending poles holding the sun.

How many countries are Commonwealth member states? ›

The Commonwealth comprises 56 countries, across all inhabited continents. The members have a combined population of 2.4 billion people, almost a third of the world population, with 1.4 billion living in India, and 94% living in either Asia or Africa.

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