Georgia will stop to be a CIS member from August 2009. “A technical decision was taken to discontinue Georgia’s membership of the CIS in conformity with its address,” said on Thursday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Itar-Tass reported.
“This will take place in August 2009,” he specified, adding that “an instruction was issued to carry out stock-taking of agreements, under which Georgia has obligations”.
“A decision was taken on stopping the operation of the Collective Peacekeeping Force in Abkhazia, since it was made within the CIS,” the minister also noted.
Speaking of Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS, Lavrov said, “This is a sovereign decision. However, it is regrettable, since all benefit by cooperation within the CIS.
The Russian minister noted at the same time that he sees “no negative consequences from discontinuation of Georgia’s membership of the CIS, since Georgia’s participation over the past years was aimed likely at erosion of the CIS rather than at its consolidation.
Lavrov said “there were no statements from Ukraine on a withdrawal from the CIS”. “I believe that Ukraine intends to step up its participation in the Commonwealth.”
