CIS Interparliamentary Assembly

CIS Interparliamentary Assembly
A.Savin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	CIS Interparliamentary Assembly
Native name	Межпарламентская Ассамблея государств — участников Содружества Независимых Государств
Formation	1992
Headquarters	Saint Petersburg
Leader title	Secretary
Leader name	Gennady Seleznyov; later Vladimir Rushailo
Membership	Parliaments of CIS member states

CIS Interparliamentary Assembly is a regional parliamentary forum established in 1992 to bring together legislators from former Soviet republics including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan at different times. Modeled after multinational bodies such as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the assembly sought to coordinate legislation among the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and to facilitate interparliamentary dialogue akin to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Its creation followed summits like the Belovezh Accords and the Almaty Agreement, and paralleled initiatives by the Eurasian Economic Community and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

History

The assembly was conceived in the immediate aftermath of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union during negotiations involving leaders associated with the Belovezh Accords and the Almaty Agreement, with impetus from figures linked to the legislatures of Russia and Belarus and delegations influenced by the legacy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Early sessions involved deputies who had served in bodies such as the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union and the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR, and were attended by states that had signed the Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Over the 1990s the assembly interacted with institutions like the Commonwealth of Independent States Executive Committee and referenced legal instruments such as the CIS Charter. Tensions in the 2000s echoed geopolitical shifts seen in relations among NATO, the European Union, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, while later developments paralleled initiatives by the Eurasian Economic Union and bilateral platforms like the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

Membership and Structure

Membership comprises parliamentary delegations from successor states of the Soviet Union such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan when participating; comparable arrangements exist in other regional bodies like the Baltic Assembly and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Eurasian Economic Community. The assembly’s internal organs have included a General Assembly, a Council of the Assembly, and standing committees similar to committees in the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Leadership roles echo positions found in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the assembly interacts with national legislatures such as the State Duma (Russian Federation), the Mazhilis, the Verkhovna Rada, the National Assembly of Armenia, and the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan. Administrative functions have been headquartered in Saint Petersburg, with procedural precedents drawn from the Statute of the Council of Europe and parliamentary practice in the Federation Council of Russia.

Functions and Powers

The assembly issues model laws, recommendations, and declarations aiming to harmonize legislation across participants, comparable to outputs by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. It has adopted texts on themes resonant with instruments from the United Nations General Assembly and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe including[statements] on parliamentary cooperation, electoral observation akin to missions by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and reports referencing international accords like the Helsinki Final Act. The assembly’s powers are consultative rather than supranational, resembling mandates of the Commonwealth of Independent States institutions and other interparliamentary fora such as the Benelux Parliament. Its legal influence depends on domestic ratification by parliaments such as the Seimas, the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan, and the Parliament of Tajikistan.

Meetings and Decision-Making

Plenary sessions and committee meetings have been convened periodically in locations including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Minsk, and other capitals, following meeting practices similar to those of the Council of Europe and the OSCE. Decision-making combines delegation votes and consensus procedures reminiscent of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, with chairing patterns comparable to rotating presidencies seen in the European Union Council and the Organization of American States. Specialized committees have examined legislation on topics paralleling agendas in the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, while delegations have coordinated positions for CIS summits like those of the CIS Heads of State Council and interacted with executive organs such as the CIS Executive Committee.

Relations with CIS Bodies and International Organizations

The assembly maintains institutional links with the Commonwealth of Independent States, collaborating with the CIS Executive Committee and referencing agreements like the CIS Charter and accords negotiated at CIS summits. It has engaged with organizations including the OSCE, the United Nations, and regional structures such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, mirroring inter-institutional cooperation exemplified by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Bilateral and multilateral parliamentary contacts have been conducted with legislative bodies such as the Bundestag, the United States Congress, the National People's Congress of China, and the Parliament of India through delegation exchanges and observer arrangements akin to the Inter-Parliamentary Union framework.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have compared the assembly’s political orientation to initiatives associated with Kremlin foreign policy and have contrasted its effectiveness with bodies like the European Parliament and the Eurasian Economic Union institutions. Controversies have included disputes over participation by delegations during crises such as those involving the Russo-Ukrainian War, tensions mirroring debates in the United Nations Security Council, and questions about democratic standards raised by observers from the OSCE ODIHR and non-governmental organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Debates have also concerned the assembly’s prism in regional integration projects such as the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the role of national parliaments such as the State Duma (Russian Federation) and the Verkhovna Rada in endorsing assembly outputs.

Category:Interparliamentary organizations Category:Commonwealth of Independent States