The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established on December 8, 1991 by the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, who signed the Agreement on Establishment of the CIS.

On December 21, 1991, the heads of 11 sovereign states signed the Protocol to the Agreement, in accordance with which they formed the Commonwealth of Independent States on equal bases. In 1993 Georgia became the CIS member-state, but on August 18, 2009 it officially withdrew from the Commonwealth.

On January 22, 1993 The CIS Charter was adopted, according to which the goals of the CIS are defined as follows:

• cooperation in political, economic, environmental, humanitarian, cultural and other spheres;
• comprehensive and balanced economic and social development of the CIS member states;
• ensuring human rights and fundamental liberties in accordance with generally recognized principles and norms of international law;
  
• cooperation between member states to ensure international peace and security, realization of effective measures for the reduction of arms and military expenditures, and achievement of universal and full disarmament;
  
• peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts between the CIS member-states;
  
• assisting citizens of member states in free communication, contacts and movement in the Commonwealth and etc.

Ukraine and Turkmenistan have not ratified the CIS Charter, as a result of which these two countries de-jure are not considered as CIS member states, but only as founding-states or participating states.

On August 26, 2005, within the framework of Kazan CIS Summit, Turkmenistan stated that the country would be engaged in the activities of the Organization in the capacity of associate member.

In March of 1994 the CIS was granted the observer status in the UN General Assembly.

Cooperation within the Commonwealth of Independent States is realized through the Charter Bodies of the CIS:

• Council of Heads of States
• Council of Heads of Governments
• Council of Foreign Ministers
• Council of Defense Ministers
• Council of Commanders-in-Chief of Frontier Troops
• Economic Court
• Economic Council
• Inter-Parliamentary Assembly
• Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of the Participating States of the Commonwealth to Charter and Other Bodies of the Commonwealth.

There are around 80 bodies of sectoral cooperation within the framework of the CIS aimed at assisting the interaction between the CIS member states in the sphere of economic and social development, humanitarian cooperation, combating crime and terrorism and other spheres of cooperation.

In 2008 The Statute on National coordinators of the CIS member states was adopted.

The only permanent functioning executive, administrative and coordination body of the CIS is the Executive Committee headquartered of the Executive Committee is located in Minsk with a branch in Moscow.

The chairmanship of the CIS bodies is transferred alternately to the CIS member states based on the principle of rotation according to the Russian alphabet. Each state assumes the chairmanship for one-year term, if no other decision is adopted. The previous and the following chairmen-countries become co-chairs in the highest organs.

The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan participated in the Astana Summit on October 14, 2022.

On May 20, by VTS and on October 28, 2022 in Astana Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan attended the session of the Council of the CIS Heads of Governments.

On May 13, 2022 in Dushanbe, on October 12, 2022 in Astana and on April 14, 2023 in Samarkand Foreign Minister of Armenia participated in the meetings of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

According to the principle of rotation, Kyrgyz Republic assumes the presidency in the CIS since January 1, 2023.

On 1 January 2023, the decision of the CIS Council of Heads of State on renaming the position of the Chairman of the Executive Committee – CIS Executive Secretary to the CIS Secretary General comes into force.

 CIS Secretary General is Sergey Lebedev.

Updated on 26.09.2023