The Soviet Union occupied a sixth of the land and was one of the largest states that ever existed on the planet. After its collapse, a large number of republics were formed with a weak economy, a small population and with unclear plans for the future. It was then, in the early nineties of the last century, that a new alliance appeared, which tried to resurrect the closeness of relations, while maintaining the independence of states. It is about this union, and more precisely - about one of its main governing bodies that will be discussed in this article. The topic of the article is the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS States, or the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
What is CIS
The CIS was founded in 1991, on the eighth of December, when in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, representatives of Ukraine, Belarus and the RSFSR signed an Agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Another name for the contract, which can sometimes be found among journalists and in textbooks, is the Bialowieza Agreement.
The documents signed by representatives of these three states said that the USSR was ceasing to exist as a geopolitical unit. But, taking into account the historical roots of peoples, the proximity of cultures and languages, the Commonwealth was created in place of the sunken Soviet Union, initially consisting of the three countries listed above. Later, the CIS included all the former Soviet republics, with the exception of the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) and Georgia (joined in 1993).
On December 21, 1991, a declaration was signed in Almaty stating the goals of creating a new union, as well as the principles on which relations between states would be built. The general command of the armed forces, control over nuclear weapons remained, the common economic space remained. Moreover, the relations of all states should be based on mutual respect and equality. By signing this document, we can say that the fact of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States was confirmed.
The goals of the CIS
Among the main goals of this organization are:
- political cooperation and mutual assistance;
- creation of a single economic space;
- cooperation for peace, the provision of military and humanitarian assistance;
- peaceful resolution of all conflicts between the states that are members of the CIS;
- coordination of their actions in relation to other states (non-CIS countries);
- fight against crime, with environmental pollution;
- development of transport, communications, opening borders for free trade and movement, etc.
CIS Interparliamentary Assembly: establishment
This body carries out parliamentary cooperation of the CIS countries, and also develops various proposals from the national parliaments of the participating countries that are of mutual interest.
It was formed by signing documents on the formation of the IPA CIS on March 27, 1992 in the city of Alma-Ata. Representatives of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the creation of this body.
The following year, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Moldova joined the above. In 1999, Ukraine joined the Agreement on IPA CIS. On January 16, 1996, the Convention entered into force, according to which the Assembly receives the status of a recognized interstate body as an international parliamentary organization of the CIS, which means it has the right to participate equally in all aspects of international relations.
Since then, the body has been working without interruption, and the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the Tauride Palace of St. Petersburg recently passed.
Activities and structure
The first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly was held on September 15, 1992 in Bishkek. At the meeting, organizational issues were raised, including about headquarters. It was decided that the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in St. Petersburg will hold its permanent meetings, or rather, in the Tauride Palace. In general, from 1992 to 2012, the IPA held thirty-eight meetings at which documents were discussed and adopted, laws were drafted, and existing ones were amended.
The organization of all activities of the Assembly is carried out by the Council, which consists exclusively of the heads of parliamentary delegations of all the states participating in the meeting. At the head is the Chairman, who is elected by secret ballot. In addition to St. Petersburg, IPA CIS visiting sessions are held in Kiev or Bishkek.
There are commissions for the development of documents of any type: on law, on finance and economics, on social policy, on natural resources and ecology, on international issues, on defense, on science, on culture, on tourism and sports, on construction, on agricultural policy as well as budget control. In these structures, work is underway to create model documents and prepare them for consideration by the entire Assembly. Meetings of these commissions are usually held twice, or even thrice a year. Also, in addition to these organizations operating on an ongoing basis, the Assembly may establish an additional commission on any issue.
Any documents are accepted after discussion, which allows you to accept mutually beneficial provisions.
The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS states publishes reports on its meetings. The activities of the body can be found in the international journal “Bulletin of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly”, as well as in any political journals and collections that reflect this topic. For example, in the latest issues of political publications there were many articles about how the 137 Inter-Parliamentary Assembly went.
Lawmaking
Not in the last place among the main issues that the Assembly is considering is the question of law. Maximizing the approximation of legislation is one of the tasks, because similar laws greatly facilitate the cooperation of the internal affairs and security agencies of the participating countries.
Also, the “unity” of laws applies not only to criminal codes. General norms for the trade sector have a very positive effect on the creation of a single trading zone. Laws are also passed on freedom and law, on the independence of a person and the protection of his rights in the territory of any CIS state.
The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly successfully copes with the task of creating decent conditions for mutually beneficial trade, for market development. The laws on cooperation in the field of environmental protection are also modeled on the territory of all CIS countries, as well as under water and in space. Science with education has not been left aside - scientific relations between the CIS countries are maintained at the highest level.
One important point is reform. The Inter-Parliamentary Union, dealing with the regulation of all types of laws between the participating countries, does not change these or other norms, if necessary, but reform them, listening to the voices of representatives of all states that are members of the Assembly.
Of course, the ideal is a single legislation adopted on the territory of all countries that are members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Formation of legal norms in the CIS countries
Combating crime is one of the key objectives of the union. Too often, residents of these countries are faced with violence, with the sale of arms, drugs and people, with terrorism. Over the entire period of existence and work, the Assembly adopted a number of projects that help solve the tasks of combating crime together.
Separate documents can be distinguished:
- 1999 Counter-Terrorism Treaty.
- Consumer Protection Treaty for 2000.
- 2000 Anti-Drug Trafficking Agreement.
- Agreement on the creation of conditions for the expansion of leasing activities for 2005.
- Anti-Money Laundering Treaty for 2007
And:
- 1996 Peacekeeping Regulation.
- Regulation on the flag and emblem of the CIS for 1996.
- Regulations on the provision of housing for military personnel in 1996.
Promoting Peace and Security
The participants in the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly made a huge contribution to the establishment of peace throughout the territory of the former Soviet Union. It’s worth remembering how many hotspots arose immediately after the collapse of the USSR, and it becomes clear how much work has been done. Representatives of the IPA CIS carried out peacekeeping, establishing peace and regulating conflicts.
In 1999-2000, the Assembly had to do a great job to achieve peace in the Caucasus. At that time, the tasks were: the expulsion of terrorists or their destruction, as well as the establishment of peace in the Caucasus. Both tasks, of course, with losses, were completed. Now the situation is tense, but getting out of control is no longer there.
In 2004, representatives of the IPA CIS monitored the situation in Kosovo. Also, it was the Assembly members who were the first of the international observers to visit the war zone in South Ossetia in 2008.
If necessary, the CIS IPA maintains contacts with observers of the OSCE, UN or NATO. The Assembly also adheres to the principle of not regulating conflicts by sending troops and using force, but is trying to put both sides at the negotiating table. The Resolution of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in such situations usually states: do without bloodshed, without victims. This tactic of a peaceful settlement is unconditional, difficult, but bears fruit and deserves respect.
Promotion of democracy in the CIS
The desire for democracy in all post-Soviet republics is one of the areas that the Assembly supports.
Since the mid-nineties, its representatives have been observers in elections, in which the results may be in doubt due to difficult situations (for example, due to war or crisis). So it was in Yugoslavia. Also, members of the Assembly were on duty at all polling stations in Crimea when a referendum was held there, the main question of which was to remain on the peninsula as part of Ukraine or to "merge" with Russia. The difficulty was that the conflict occurred between members of the CIS - the Russian Federation and Ukraine. But, one way or another, the referendum took place, and Crimea became part of the Russian Federation.
On the basis of the Assembly, the so-called "Institute of Democracy" was created - MIMRD, which became the foundation for preparing bills, for hearings and seminars, for conferences, etc. This format allows arranging not just hearings, but also discussions, substantive discussions, and discussions. In 2012 alone, the Institute for Democracy at the Assembly ensured the legality of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, then of deputies to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and also controlled the election of deputies in Belarus and Ukraine.
Activities aimed at promoting science
The Assembly made a great contribution to the development of relations on the basis of science. Over twenty years of collaboration, more than three hundred scientific events have been visited by more than seven thousand scientists, public figures, politicians and specialists in various fields.
The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS acted as the organizer of nine St. Petersburg economic forums, which hosted the formation of the international economic summit, which is later recognized and appreciated around the world.
Many laws were prepared on the market, on its development and expansion. Since 2000, the Assembly has held summits and meetings that relate to key dates in the history of not only the former Soviet Union, but the whole world. For example: the centenary of St. Petersburg (June 17, 2003), the sixtieth anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany (April 15, 2005), the centenary of the State Duma in Russia (April 28, 2006) and so on.
In November 2008, a meeting was held with representatives of the Red Cross, at which questions were raised about the technical supply of the organization from Russia.
Humanitarian and cultural cooperation
Here the main task of the Assembly is, of course, to strengthen cultural ties between the peoples of the CIS. And in this case, artists and artists who once worked, and now have left their legacy beloved by millions, come to the rescue.
The Assembly initiated such holidays as:
- 150th anniversary of the birth of the Russian composer N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov;
- 150th anniversary of the birth of the national poet of Kazakhstan A. Kunanbaev;
- the centenary of the birth of the Kazakh writer M. O. Auezov;
- 80th anniversary of the birth of the Azerbaijani composer K. A. Karaev;
- the proclamation in the CIS of 1999 as the year of A. S. Pushkin, and 2003 as the year of St. Petersburg;
- celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Kazakh national poet - akyn Jambul;
- The 1000th anniversary of the formation of the Samanids;
- The 1000th anniversary of the Kyrgyz epos Manas;
- 200th anniversary of the birth of T. G. Shevchenko;
Dozens of festivals and competitions of music, poetry, painting, prose are held. In the fall of 2012, an international scientific congress "The legacy of Lev Nikolayevich Gumilyov and the fate of the peoples of Eurasia: history, modernity, prospects", as well as the "World of Chingiz Aitmatov" was held.
International activities and external relations
Throughout the world, the Assembly has connections that one way or another has to be used to solve certain problems. CIS countries, albeit always standing a little apart, in view of belonging in many respects to one force that united them in the twentieth century, still have many partners in all corners of the earth.
Representatives of the United Nations, the Security Council of Europe, the Northern Union, the Red Cross and many other associations became frequent guests in the Tauride Palace, where the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly takes place, whose efforts are largely aimed at increasing ties between countries around the world and resolving conflict situations on the planet.
Among the key partners of the IPA CIS in the implementation of any financial operations are the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. And also there are dozens of banks and banking groups on a smaller scale.
The Assembly has very close cooperation, of course, with law enforcement agencies of almost all countries of the world. Nevertheless, the problem of international terrorism, and therefore violence, is one of the key, it requires increased attention and maximum joint efforts.
