Commonwealth of Independent States News & Analysis

Commonwealth of Independent States

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.

Global South Trade
Featured September 23, 2026

Russia’s Trade With The Global South Hits US$299 Billion In H1 2026: Country By Country Analysis  

Russia’s trade with the Global South and ‘friendly’ countries now accounts for 85% of its total, reaching about US$299 billion in H1 2026. The West provides just 15% of Russia’s economic trade and continues to decline. We examine the main Global South trade partners in all regions, and provide the latest H1 2026 trade data. There are some surprising results for those who assume Russia only trades oil with China and India. The non-energy sector on a worldwide basis is increasingly dominant as Global South trade volumes continue a Russian growth trajectory.

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Featured September 11, 2026

Kazakhstan Approves New Russian Diabetes Drug 

Russia’s Promomed biopharmaceutical company has received approval from the Kazakh Ministry of Health to supply Tirzetta, a drug used in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus and obesity. It is also commonly marketed as a ‘beauty’ weight loss medication. According to the WHO, 56% of Kazakhstan’s adult population are overweight.

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SCO Main
August 30, 2026

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation 2026 Bishkek Summit: What to Expect

The 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State summit commences on Tuesday, September 1 in Bishkek. With participants including Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and host Kyrgyzstan, together with leaders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Laos, Mongolia and Turkiye as well as the United Nations, the SCO is responsible for 36% of all global trade and 42% of the global population. We discuss the agenda and likely outcomes.

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Uzbekistan Bashkortostan
August 10, 2026

The 2026 Uzbekistan-Bashkortostan Business Forum: Investment, Trade & Development Analysis

The 2026 Uzbekistan-Bashkortostan Business Forum has just taken place in Ufa, Russia. With bilateral trade growing at 20% this year, we deep dive the relationship between Bashkortostan and Uzbekistan, the investments being made and the prospects of the two countries hitting US$30 billion in trade by 2030.

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Kazakh Interregional
August 9, 2026

The 2026 Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum: Bilateral Trade, Investment & Development Analysis

The 2026 Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Forum has just taken place in Omsk. With bilateral trade growing at over 10% in 2026, we deep dive the extent of their regional integration and logistics and examine the US$833 million worth of investments signed during the event as both countries are set to deepen Eurasian connectivity.

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Uzbekistan relation
July 30, 2026

Russia, Uzbekistan Bilateral Relations & Trade: July 2026 Update

The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov has met with Bakhtiyor Saidov, the Uzbekistan Minister of Foreign Affairs. Bilateral trade is growing at 20% per annum, but much needs to be done to improve their infrastructure and logistics capabilities. We examine the key issues and discuss the critical areas of their trade and investment development.

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