Including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and an associate in Turkmenistan, the CIS is a Eurasian trade bloc that achieved about US$125 billion in multilateral trade in 2025, with an average GDP growth rate of approximately 4.7%. Key developments include new trade platforms (CIS Plus), focus on infrastructure like the CKU railway, and expansion of free trade agreements, especially for services, enhancing regional economic integration within Eurasia and beyond. Understand the CIS market for business. Get analysis on trade regulations, economic integration, and cross-border investment opportunities within this key post-Soviet economic zone.
Russia’s Nanolek is investing in a second HPV vaccine production line to satisfy markets in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Economic Union, Central and Southeast Asia as well as Africa. The line will increase vaccine production to 6 million doses a year and should be completed by 2027.
Russia and Kazakhstan geologists have discovered what is likely to be the world’s largest deposit of rare earths, in Kazakhstan’s South Irgiz region. According to scientific estimates, rare earth metal resources at the cluster exceed 20 million tonnes. Rare earths are essential ingredients in numerous global hi-tech applications, with the largest deposits thus found being from China, Brazil, India, Australia, Russia and now Kazakhstan.
Russian imports of Azerbaijani fruit increased by 17.8% in 2025, while Russian exports of livestock also increased by 1.6 times in complimentary trade flows. Both Azerbaijan and Russia are memebrs of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The CAREC group of Central Asian nations is to expedite their regional comprehensive and transparent regional cooperation mechanism to facilitate cross-border trade and investment. These will link with Russian and Chinese digital logistics networks to the east and west and further enhance multilateral, Eurasian trade efficiencies.
Russia has begun exporting aluminium to Armenia via rail and Azerbaijan transit in signs that bilateral relations between the two South Caucasus nations is returning to normality after years of hostility.
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The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has been visiting the President and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan in Astana. The two countries bilateral trade dipped slightly last year, and with joint memberships in the Eurasian Economic Union, Commonwealth of Independent States and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, plus increasing need for developing China transit, both parties signed a development agreement for 2027-2028.
Western critics sometimes compare contemporary Russia with the Soviet Union. In this article we discuss the economic development of the USSR and compare it to the development of the Russian Federation. We underline why they are fundamentally different, the economic and social reasonings for this, and why Moscow is not intent on ‘recreating’ the USSR.
Russia will permit truck drivers from Georgia and the CIS countries to remain in Russia for 183 days in every year to allow them to work continuously. The scheme kicks in from June 30. We provide the application details.
Hong Kong is attracting interest from Central Asian nations as a capital raising financial centre, with Kazakhstan’s Sovereign Wealth Fund owned national railway company looking to raise money via a Hong Kong IPO this year. This marks a profound shift in Hong Kong’s traditional financial markets and signifies a new direction in bringing China Belt & Road Initiative related projects to the territory to raise finance.
Russia’s Arnest Group have invested in a cosmetics production facility in Uzbekistan to develop additional Central Asian export markets for its products. The company is best known overseas for acquiring Unilever’s assets and brands when they exited the Russian market.
The latest Russia-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission has been held in Zangilan, in the Azerbaijan’s Eastern Zangezur region, to inspire attention in developing the recent Armenian deposed area. Also discussed were connectivity issues with Iran’s Rascht-Astara railway, with construction currently suspended due to the Iran war.
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