Ukraine, Moldova legally remain members of CIS Secretary-General confirms

Sergey Lebedev, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), has officially stated that both Ukraine and Moldova continue to hold legal membership within the organization.

“As CIS Secretary-General, I want to officially declare: Ukraine legally remains in the CIS. So does Moldova,” Lebedev told a briefing in Moscow, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The CIS countries, including non-official members, have approximately 284.8 million inhabitants and make up around 4.3 percent of the global economy at purchasing power parity (PPP), with Russia and Kazakhstan having the largest shares.

The CIS members engage in political, economic, trade, and cultural cooperation and share a free trade area and a visa-free regime. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are official members, while Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine are not, but they had previously participated in CIS activities, and Moldova has reduced participation in recent years. However, market data often includes non-official members due to geographical and economic proximity.

This declaration highlights the ongoing complexities of the relationship between these nations and the CIS, particularly in the context of their political landscapes and international alignments. The reaffirmation of their legal status in the CIS comes amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the region.

By Vafa Guliyeva