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.
Based on current GDP growth trends, the Russian-backed Commonwealth of Independent States is likely to reach GDP economic parity with the European Union and may even overtake it, by 2050. The current GDP (PPP) of the European Union is €25.09 trillion, with a current average growth rate, according to the World Bank, of 1.2%. The […]
The member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States are illustrating good economic growth during 2025, according to forecasts taken from Eurasian Development Bank data. They are averaging GDP growth rates for the year at 4.7%. Details are as follows: Country 2025 GDP growth forecast Armenia 4.5% A return to normality following conflict with […]
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, is taking part in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, China. Foreign Ministers of all the SCO members are present. These meetings are focused on preparations for the SCO Heads of State Council summit, also in Tianjin, which is […]
The Irtysh River should become an international logistics route for access to Kazakhstan and China, according to Dmitry Ushakov, the Acting Governor of the Omsk region. He said that cargo transport development along the river can connect several Russian regions and provide access to the Northern Sea Route. Ushakov said that “The Irtysh River should […]
The Transport Ministers of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have signed an MoU concerning the development of road and roadside services along the ‘Silk Road’ – the vehicle and highway network between member countries. The Russian side was represented by Dmitry Zverev, the Deputy Minister of Transport. They discussed the joint […]
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The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov; has been attending the annual Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) meetings, held this year in Kyrgyzstan. The CSTO is often described as a ‘Eurasian version of NATO’ and includes Russia along with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Armenia is also a member but has not recently been participating. Afghanistan […]
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has been on an official visit to Kyrgyzstan to meet with the Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev. He arrived at Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, where bilateral meetings were held, and the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective […]
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has been on an official visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he was received by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov. They discussed key issues of Russia-Turkmenistan relations and reaffirmed their intent to implement joint […]
The transport of goods in containers in international traffic throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) increased by 15.5% in 2024, to 72.3 million tonnes, according to Oleg Belozerov, Head of the Council and Head of Russian Railways. Belozerov was speaking at a meeting of the Council on Railway Transport of the Commonwealth member States […]
A general contract with Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan will be signed after the conclusion of intergovernmental agreements to regulate bilateral cooperation and financing issues, according to the Kazakh Nuclear Energy Agency (NNC) They have stated that “This contract will be signed after the conclusion of intergovernmental agreements between Kazakhstan and […]
Foreign transport companies, including those from the CIS countries, are showing great interest in studying Russia’s approaches to building the country’s first high-speed railway (HSR), according to Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit. Russia is preparing to build an HSR between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Starovit said that “The subject of the high-speed railway is a […]
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