Official: Georgia remains tied to 70 CIS agreements despite formal exit

Georgia has formally withdrawn from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) but continues to participate in around 70 agreements linked to the bloc, according to the secretary-general Sergey Lebedev.

Speaking to the Russian news agency, Lebedev said that despite Tbilisi’s exit from the organisation, practical cooperation has been maintained through a range of existing arrangements.

“Georgia has left the CIS, but remains part of 70 agreements within the CIS framework and continues to cooperate,” Lebedev said.

Georgia joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1993, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as part of efforts to preserve economic links and regional cooperation among former Soviet republics. For years, membership provided a framework for limited political and economic engagement.

A major turning point came with the August 2008 conflict between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In the aftermath, under the leadership of then-President Mikheil Saakashvili, Tbilisi moved to reassess its participation in CIS structures.

Georgia formally announced its decision to withdraw in 2008, initiating the required one-year notice period. Its exit took effect in August 2009, marking a clear geopolitical shift away from Russian-led regional frameworks.

By Aghakazim Guliyev