35 years of the CIS: How is Uzbekistan’s role in the CIS evolving?

Thirty-five years is enough time to assess what an organization founded amid the dissolution of a once-unified state has become, and what roles countries that have pursued their own paths of development have assumed within it. For the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), this anniversary is more than a chance to reflect on its history. It also offers an opportunity to address a more pressing question: what role does the CIS play today, as the global economy evolves, logistics routes are reshaped, and Central Asian countries increasingly assert themselves as independent actors in international relations?

For Uzbekistan, the answer is closely tied to a significant shift in its approach to regional cooperation. While the early years of independence focused on building national statehood and adapting to new economic conditions, the emphasis today is increasingly on tangible results: expanding trade turnover, establishing joint production facilities, improving market access, developing transport infrastructure, and strengthening business ties. This transition from preserving existing connections to creating new economic opportunities defines Uzbekistan’s evolving role within the CIS.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established in December 1991. The newly independent states faced a complex challenge: building their own political and economic institutions while preserving vital ties that had developed over decades.

Over the past decades, the nature of cooperation has changed significantly. National economies have become more independent, countries have diversified their international partnerships, and regional cooperation is no longer confined to a single institutional framework.

Today, the CIS operates alongside other cooperation mechanisms, ranging from bilateral agreements to Central Asian regional initiatives. This reflects less a decline in the importance of any single platform than the growing complexity of the overall system of international relations. For Uzbekistan, this approach matters. The country seeks to maintain effective ties with CIS member states while simultaneously expanding cooperation with partners beyond the post-Soviet space. As a result, Uzbekistan’s participation in the CIS is increasingly assessed in terms of practical benefits: which markets become accessible, which projects are launched, and which barriers can be removed.

According to the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the country’s foreign trade turnover with CIS member states reached $23.63 billion in 2024 and increased to $28.09 billion in 2025. Thus, the figure rose by approximately 18.8% over the year.

This trend reflects sustained demand for the mutual supply of goods and services, as well as the continued interdependence of the region’s economies. However, the overall figure points to a broader trend: cooperation is gradually moving beyond traditional trade in goods and becoming increasingly linked to industry, investment, and industrial cooperation.

At the same time, trade with CIS countries remains an important component of Uzbekistan’s international economic relations. In 2025, the country’s total foreign trade turnover amounted to $81.2 billion. Consequently, CIS member states accounted for approximately 34.6% of this total.

Any discussion of Uzbekistan’s role within the CIS must account for the importance of Russia and Kazakhstan. Their significance stems not only from geography but also from the size of their markets, industrial ties, transport infrastructure and longstanding business relations.

According to statistics, Russia accounted for 48.5% of Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with CIS countries in January 2025, while Kazakhstan accounted for 19%. Together, the two countries accounted for more than two-thirds of Uzbekistan’s trade with the Commonwealth that month.

For Uzbekistan, economic ties with Russia encompass trade in industrial and agricultural products, energy cooperation, investment and labor migration. Kazakhstan, in turn, plays an important role in regional trade and transit, connecting Central Asia with broader Eurasian markets.

Another important development is Uzbekistan’s increasingly active role in shaping Central Asia’s regional agenda.

The region is gradually strengthening its internal ties. Growing trade among neighboring countries, expanding transport connections, joint efforts to address water and energy issues, and support for business contacts are creating conditions for closer cooperation among the five Central Asian states.

Uzbekistan’s geographical location presents both opportunities and challenges. The country has no direct access to the sea, making its foreign economic prospects largely dependent on the efficiency of overland routes, border procedures, and coordination of transport policies among neighboring countries.

Under these circumstances, cooperation with CIS countries remains important in practice. It helps maintain existing trade routes while creating opportunities to develop new logistics connections.

Transport is not merely about delivering finished goods from one country to another. It also creates opportunities to establish new production hubs, locate enterprises closer to their target markets and reduce business costs.

Energy is another area of particular importance. For countries in the region, reliable energy supplies, infrastructure development, and efficient use of production capacity remain essential to economic resilience. However, joint projects in this sector must be assessed for their economic efficiency, environmental impact, and long-term benefits for each participating country. The greatest growth potential lies in turning geographical proximity into a technological and industrial advantage.

Over the past 35 years, not only has the economic context of cooperation among CIS member states changed, but so has the range of challenges that cannot be effectively addressed at the national level alone. Traditional issues of trade and transport have been joined by digital security, artificial intelligence development, the protection of financial transactions, workforce training and competition for human capital.

In his address at the CIS summit in Turkmenistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev focused on the problem of cross-border cyber fraud. The President proposed establishing a joint CIS contact center to ensure a rapid response to cybercrime and fraudulent schemes. Other initiatives included a proposal to organize a forum on cultural policy and creative industries.

Thus, the CIS agenda is gradually expanding to encompass areas that, just a few decades ago, were not considered central to interstate cooperation.

One of Uzbekistan’s key developments will be its chairmanship of the CIS in 2027. At the summit in Turkmenistan, the heads of state endorsed the relevant decision, while Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined the main areas of the upcoming work. Priorities include the economy, new technologies, transport, security, education, science and human capital development.

According to the President of Uzbekistan, preparations for the chairmanship concept and action plan are ongoing, with more than 100 events already included in the plan. The next meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State is scheduled to take place in Bukhara in 2027.

Over the past 35 years, Uzbekistan has evolved from a participant in the transformations of the post-Soviet space into a country actively shaping its own regional and international agenda. Today, its role within the CIS is defined not only by historical ties but also by its economic potential, initiatives to strengthen regional cooperation, and readiness to propose new areas of collaboration.

The CIS anniversary is less a moment to reflect on the past than an opportunity to test the Commonwealth’s ability to meet today’s needs.

Aziza Alimova, UzA