Prospects of Cooperation in the Commonwealth of Independent States

The modern world is going through global changes that to some extent affect all nations. The goals, institutions and principles that were considered to be the basis of international relations have turned out to be unstable and often discredited. In this context, a new system of international relations is being formed, which should reflect the national interests of all states. The current crisis has a major impact on the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the effect is both negative and positive. Western sanctions directly target Russia and Belarus and indirectly they also affect other members. At the same time, such challenges contribute to greater cohesion within the CIS and can give impetus to closer cooperation. Thus, international tension can be the launch point to help intensify integration processes in the CIS and to form a new quality of relations in it. This article aims at determining the current state of relations between the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States, assessing its strengths and weaknesses as an international organisation, and predicting possible prospects for the development of relations between the states. The article focuses on the current trends in the activities of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It examines the problems of cooperation within the CIS, as well as the causes of these problems, including both internal contradictions and increasing foreign influence. The author explores the advantages and disadvantages of the CIS and proposes three different scenarios of the further evolution of interaction between the Commonwealth’s member states.