According to Article 7 of the
Agreement on the creation the Commonwealth of Independent States of 8 December 1991, the High Contracting Parties indicate that through common coordinating institutions, their joint activities will consist in coordinating foreign policy activities,
cooperation in the formation and development of a common economic space, common European and Eurasian markets, in the field of customs policy, in the development of transport and communication systems, cooperation in the field of environmental protection, migration policy and the fight against organized crime. According to the Article 5 of
Belavezha Accords, the High Contracting Parties shall recognize and respect each other's territorial integrity and the inviolability of existing borders within the Commonwealth. They shall guarantee the openness of borders, freedom of movement of citizens and freedom of information within the Commonwealth. The former
Soviet republics that became independent states were part of the
economy of the Soviet Union with its common technical standards, common infrastructure, territorial proximity, chains of cooperation, and common legal heritage. Through the signing of international agreements on trade, economic cooperation and integration, countries can achieve an increase in the efficiency of their economies, which suffered due to the
disintegration of the Soviet Union. At the same time, all post-Soviet countries have moved to a
market economy, implemented reforms and expanded trade and cooperation with the
global economy. Over the past three decades, several negotiations have taken place on proposed integration projects.
Treaty on the creation of an Economic Union On 24 September 1993, at a meeting of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of State in
Moscow, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan signed the Treaty on the creation of an Economic Union which reinforces by an international agreement the intention to create an economic union through the step-by-step creation of a free trade area, a customs union and conditions for the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor. All these countries have ratified the Treaty and it entered into force on January 14, 1994. Turkmenistan and Georgia joined in 1994 and ratified the Treaty, but Georgia withdrew in 2009. A number of other documents and agreements were adopted for the development of the economic union. For example, on 21 October 1994, an Agreement on the creation of a Payment Union of States was signed and the Main directions of integration development and a perspective plan for integration development were adopted. The purpose of the union is to form common economic space grounded on free movement of goods, services, labour force, capital; to elaborate coordinated monetary, tax, price, customs, external economic policy; to bring together methods of regulating economic activity and create favourable conditions for the development of direct production relations. On 15 April 1994, the "Agreement on Ukraine's accession to the Economic Union as an associate member" was signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Georgia but never entered into force due to non-ratification by Russia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Georgia, although all the others ratified. As a permanent functioning coordinating and executive body of the Economic Union, the
Interstate Economic Committee has been established.
Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area On 15 April 1994, at a meeting of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of State in
Moscow, all 12 post-Soviet states signed the international
Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area in order to move towards the creation of an economic union. Article 17 also confirmed the intention to conclude a free trade agreement in services. == Bilateral Customs Union between Russia and Belarus ==