Commonwealth of Independent state (CIS) was created after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. The members were the former states of the USSR. The founder members were Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Subsequent members were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Common affairs were conducted on a multilateral, interstate basis. It provided a framework for military, foreign policy, and economic cooperation between members.