We, the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation (RSFSR), Ukraine, as the founding states of the USSR, having signed the Union Treaty of 1922, hereinafter referred to as the High Contracting Parties, state that the USSR as a subject of international law and a geopolitical reality, ceases to exist.
Based on the historical community of our peoples and the ties that have developed between them, taking into account the bilateral treaties concluded between the High Contracting Parties,
striving to build democratic states governed by the rule of law,
intending to develop their relations on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for state sovereignty, the inalienable right to self-determination, the principles of equality and non-interference in internal affairs, the renunciation of the use of force, economic or any other methods of pressure, the settlement of disputes by conciliatory means, and other generally recognized principles and norms of international law,
considering that the further development and strengthening of relations of friendship, good-neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation between our states meet the fundamental national interests of their peoples and serve the cause of peace and security,
reaffirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act and other documents of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,
undertaking to observe the generally recognized international norms of human and peoples' rights,
have agreed to as follows:
Article 1
The High Contracting Parties form the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Article 2
The High Contracting Parties guarantee their citizens, regardless of their nationality or other differences, equal rights and freedoms. Each of the High Contracting Parties guarantees citizens of the other Parties, as well as stateless persons residing on its territory, regardless of their nationality or other differences, civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights and freedoms in accordance with generally recognized international norms on human rights.
Article 3
The High Contracting Parties, desiring to promote the expression, preservation and development of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of the national minorities inhabiting their territories and the unique ethnocultural regions that have developed, take them under their protection.
Article 4
The High Contracting Parties will develop equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between their peoples and states in the fields of politics, economics, culture, education, health care, environmental protection, science, trade, humanitarian and other areas, promote a broad exchange of information, and conscientiously and strictly observe mutual obligations.
The Parties consider it necessary to conclude agreements on cooperation in the specified areas.
Article 5
The High Contracting Parties recognize and respect each other's territorial integrity and the inviolability of existing borders within the Commonwealth.
They guarantee open borders, freedom of movement of citizens and the transfer of information within the Commonwealth.
Article 6
The member states of the Commonwealth will cooperate in ensuring international peace and security, implementing effective measures to reduce armaments and military spending. They strive to eliminate all nuclear weapons, and achieve general and complete disarmament under strict international control.
The Parties shall respect each other's aspiration to achieve the status of a nuclear-free zone and a neutral state.
The Commonwealth member states shall preserve and support under a unified command a common military-strategic space, including unified control over nuclear weapons, the procedure for the implementation of which shall be regulated by a special agreement.
They shall also jointly guarantee the necessary conditions for the deployment, operation, material and social support of the strategic armed forces. The Parties undertake to pursue a coordinated policy on issues of social protection and pension provision for military personnel and their families.
Article 7
The High Contracting Parties recognize that the following shall be included in the sphere of their joint activities, implemented on an equal basis through the common coordinating institutions of the Commonwealth:
- coordination of foreign policy activities;
- cooperation in the formation and development of a common economic space, pan-European and Eurasian markets, in the field of customs policy;
- cooperation in the development of transport and communication systems;
- cooperation in the field of environmental protection, participation in the creation of a comprehensive international system of environmental safety;
- issues of migration policy;
- combating organized crime.
Article 8
The Parties recognize the planetary nature of the Chernobyl disaster and undertake to unite and coordinate their efforts to minimize and overcome its consequences.
They have agreed to conclude for these purposes a special agreement taking into account the gravity of the consequences of the disaster.
Article 9
Disputes regarding the interpretation and application of the provisions of this Agreement shall be resolved through negotiations between the relevant bodies, and, if necessary, at the level of heads of Government and State.
Article 10
Each of the High Contracting Parties reserves the right to suspend the effect of this Agreement or individual articles thereof, notifying the parties to the Agreement one year in advance.
The provisions of this Agreement may be supplemented or amended by mutual consent of the High Contracting Parties.
Article 11
From the moment of signing this Agreement, the application of the norms of third states, including the former USSR, shall not be permitted in the territories of the signatory states.
Article 12
The High Contracting Parties guarantee the fulfillment of international obligations arising for them from the treaties and agreements of the former USSR.
Article 13
This Agreement shall not affect the obligations of the High Contracting Parties in relation to third states.
This Agreement shall be open for accession by all member states of the former USSR, as well as for other states that share the goals and principles of this Agreement.
Article 14
The official seat of the coordinating bodies of the Commonwealth shall be the city of Minsk.
The activities of the bodies of the former USSR in the territories of the member states of the Commonwealth shall cease.
Done in the city of Minsk on December 8, 1991, in three copies each in the Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian languages, the three texts being equally authentic.
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
Brings to attention that the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova by Resolution No. 40-ХШ of April 8, 1994 ratified the Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States, understanding this as economic cooperation of the Republic of Moldova within the Commonwealth, with the following reservations:
1. Paragraph three of the preamble after the word “build” shall be supplemented with the word “independent”.
2. Article 6, with the exception of paragraphs three and four.
3. Article 7:
• with the restatement of paragraph two as follows:
“– holding consultations on issues of foreign policy activity in areas of mutual interest”;
• with the exclusion of paragraph six, bearing in mind that issues of migration policy are regulated on a bilateral basis, based on national legislation.
4. Article 9 with the addition of the words "in compliance with the norms of international law."
5. Article 12 with the following wording:
"The High Contracting Parties, based on national legislation, guarantee the fulfillment of international obligations arising from the treaties of the former USSR."
The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova proceeds from the understanding that within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Republic of Moldova will adhere primarily to economic cooperation, excluding for itself interaction in the military-political spheres as inconsistent with the principles of sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova.
Declares that the provisions of the Agreement on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States with the above-mentioned reservations will be fulfilled.
In confirmation, we sign this instrument of ratification, certified by the official seal.