Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States

The states which voluntarily united to the Commonwealth of Independent States (further - the Commonwealth),

based on historical community of the people and the bonds which developed between them,

being effective according to the conventional principles and rules of international law, provisions of Articles of organization of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final act and other documents of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,

aiming to provide with common efforts economic and social progress of the people,

the full of determination to realize provisions of the Agreement on creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Protocol to this Agreement, and also provisions of the Almaty declaration,

developing cooperation among themselves in providing international peace and safety, and it is equal for the purpose of maintenance of the civil world and interethnic concord,

wishing to create conditions for preserving and development of cultures of all people of state members,

aiming to enhance cooperation mechanisms in the Commonwealth and to increase their efficiency,

decided to accept the Charter of the Commonwealth and

agreed as follows:

Section I. Purposes and principles

Article 1

The commonwealth is founded on the beginnings of sovereign equality of all his members. State members are independent and equal subjects of international law.

The commonwealth serves further development and strengthening of the relations of friendship, neighborliness, interethnic concord, trust, mutual understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation between gosudarstvamichlena.

The commonwealth on is the state and has no supranational powers.

Article 2

The purposes of the Commonwealth are:

implementation of cooperation in political, economic, ecological, humanitarian, cultural and other areas;

the all-round and balanced economic and social development of state members within the Common Economic Space, interstate cooperation and integration;

providing the rights and fundamental freedoms of the person according to the conventional principles and rules of international law and documents of CSCE;

cooperation between state members in providing international peace and safety, implementation of effective measures for reduction of armaments and military expenses, liquidation nuclear and other types of weapon of mass destruction, to achievement of general and complete disarmament;

assistance to citizens of state members in free communication, contacts and movement in the Commonwealth;

mutual legal assistance and cooperation in other spheres of legal relations;

peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts between the states of the Commonwealth.

Article 3

For goal achievement of the Commonwealth state members, proceeding from the universally recognized norms of international law and the Helsinki Final act, build the relations according to the following interconnected and equivalent principles:

respect of sovereignty of state members, the inalienable right of the people to self-determination and the rights to dispose of the destiny without external interference;

inviolability of frontiers, recognition of the existing borders and refusal of illegal territorial acquisitions;

territorial integrity of the states and refusal of any actions directed to partition of others territory;

nonuse of force or threats of force against political independence of state member;

the dispute resolution by peaceful means so that not to subject to threat international peace, safety and justice;

supremacy of international law in the interstate relations;

non-interference to internal and foreign affairs of each other;

ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of race, ethnic origin, language, religion, political or other convictions;

fair accomplishment of the assumed liabilities according to documents of the Commonwealth, including this Charter;

accounting of interests of each other and the Commonwealth in general, rendering on the basis of mutual consent of the help in all areas of their relations;

combination of efforts and support each other for the purpose of creation of peace living conditions of the people of state members of the Commonwealth, ensuring their political, economic and social progress;

development mutually advantageous economic and sci-tech cooperation, expansion of integration processes;

spiritual unification of their people which is based on respect of their originality, close cooperation in preserving cultural values and cultural exchange.

Article 4

Spheres of the joint activities of state members realized on equal basis through the general coordinating institutes according to obligations assumed by state members within the Commonwealth treat:

providing rights and fundamental freedoms of the person;

coordination of foreign policy activities;

cooperation in forming and development of the Common Economic Space, the all-European and Eurasian markets, customs policy;

cooperation in development of systems of transport, communication;

health protection and environment;

questions of social and migration policy;

fight against organized crime;

cooperation in the field of defense policy and protection of external borders.

This list can be added under the mutual agreement of state members.

Article 5

The main legal base of the interstate relations within the Commonwealth are multilateral and bilateral agreements in different areas of relations of state members.

The agreements signed within the Commonwealth shall answer the purpose and the principles of the Commonwealth, obligations of state members under this Charter.

Article 6

State members help cooperation and development of bonds between state bodies, public associations, economic structures.

Section II. Membership

Article 7

The states - founders of the Commonwealth are the states which signed and ratifying the Agreement on creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States of December 8, 1991 and the Protocol to this Agreement of December 21, 1991 by the time of adoption of this Charter.

State members of the Commonwealth are those gosudarstvauchreditel who assume liabilities under this Charter within one year after its acceptance of heads of states by Council.

The state which Sodruzhestva shares the purposes and the principles and assumes liabilities containing in this Charter by accession to it with the consent of all state members can also become the member Sodruzhestva.

Article 8

Based on the decision of Council of heads of states the state wishing to participate in separate types of its activities on the conditions determined by the agreement on associated membership can join the Commonwealth as the associated member.

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