Georgia quits Russian-led CIS
Tue 18 Aug 2009
Georgia officially withdrew from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as of today, after a year of formal procedures required to quit the club. In 2008 President Mikheil Saakashvili announced Georgia's intention to leave the ex-Soviet Union club.
Georgian deputy foreign minister Davit Jalagonia and his successor said yesterday that despite withdrawal from the organisation Georgia still remains part of 75 multilateral agreements that were in force between CIS member states, including on visa-free movement and free trade. He also added that authorities in Georgia will maintain their friendly relation with CIS states, in case they respect their territorial integrity.
On 12 August 2008, during a public speech in Tbilisi President Saakashvili announced Georgia would leave CIS saying Tbilisi had decided “to say farewell to the Soviet Union.” Two days later Georgia’s Parliament approved the decision for withdrawal. Saakashvili announced this decision after Russian forces entered Georgia's breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in August one year ago. “In 2008, one of the CIS members declared war to another CIS member, occupied parts of its territories, and pronounced the occupied territories as independent states”, said Saakashvili. He then also called on Ukraine and other members to quit the CIS.
Georgia was the latest country to join CIS in 1993 and the first one to officially quit the organisation in which 11 former Soviet states remain now. CIS was created in 1991 and its main aim is to enhance economic ties among the member states.
Sources: Civil Georgia; Ria Novosti; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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