Commonwealth of Independent States
1
6.8
- proper noun
:
Comunidad de Estados Independientes
- Eventually, such demands have become hallmarks of inter-republic trade, creating friction among the Central Asian states, as well as the other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) states.
- Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Examples
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Fifth, we explore Russia's involvement in the coordination of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nonproliferation export controls.
Academic text (1994) -
Russia's export control policies are also being developed in cooperation with other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Academic text (1994) -
Without the prospect of a stabilization of the consumer's situation, a clearly pragmatic concern, the Commonwealth of Independent States' entire economic program and the political future of that entity are in jeopardy.
Academic text (1992) -
This becomes all the more disturbing for the ACP when recent developments in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are brought into consideration.
Academic text (1992) -
Gorbachev's South Korean initiative may become a significant factor in helping the new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) deal with an old economic crisis, thereby enhancing the center's prospects of holding onto some of the former Soviet Union.
Academic text (1992) -
America's declining interest in Africa is demonstrated by the State Department's decision to eliminate 70 posts, or nine percent of the personnel from its Bureau of African Affairs, and to close consulates in Kenya, Nigeria, and Cameroon, and to reallocate the resources to Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Academic text (1994) -
In addition, there is the apparent diversion of scarce foreign investment capital away from Africa to the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); for example, the announcement in April 1992 of $24 billion in an official aid package for Russia alone and the earlier pledges in January 1992 of an estimated $80 billion to the CIS.
Academic text (1994) -
The leaders of former Soviet republics met to discuss reforms within the Commonwealth of Independent States.
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In 1991, the Commonwealth of Independent States was established to promote collaboration among its member countries.
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Economic policies in the Commonwealth of Independent States are designed to enhance trade and cooperation.
Synonyms
3
7.1
An organization of former Soviet countries that work together on politics, trade and security
Surface Forms
Morphology
commonwealth + of + independent + state
The phrase is directly compositional: 'commonwealth' (an organization of countries) + 'of' + 'independent states' (nations not governed by others) yields the meaning 'an alliance or association of independent countries.' The specific historical detail (former Soviet republics, 1991) is background knowledge, but the core sense is transparent and would be inferable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Commonwealth of Independent States was named after the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, when several former republics formed a loose club to keep some links and help each other. The word Commonwealth means a 'group' or 'club' and Independent States shows they were now 'free', so the name means a group of former Soviet countries that chose to work together.