Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Free association of sovereign states formed in 1991, comprising Russia and a number of other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Members are Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. Georgia, originally a member, withdrew from the association in 2009. The administrative centre is in Minsk, Belarus. The CIS's functions are to coordinate its members' policies regarding their economies, foreign relations, defense, immigration, environmental protection, and law enforcement.
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