Documentary Exhibition Marking the 35th Anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States

On September 9, 2026, the 22nd meeting of the Consultative Council of Heads of State Archival Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) took place at the CIS Executive Committee headquarters in Minsk. The event, held to mark the 35th anniversary of the CIS’s formation, brought together leading archivists from across the Commonwealth.

As part of the event, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB) prepared a documentary exhibition dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States. This was a joint project involving NARB, the Belarusian State Archives of Scientific and Technical Documentation, and the Belarusian State Archives of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents.

The exhibition brought together unique historical documents offering a fresh perspective on the key stages of the Commonwealth’s formation and the architectural history of one of the Belarusian capital’s landmark buildings. Items on display included the Statement by Heads of State and the Agreement on the Commonwealth of Independent States; declarations and protocols documenting the birth of the new international organization in December 1991; rare design materials tracing the planning and construction of the CIS Executive Committee building at 17 Kirov Street; and unique photographs capturing official meetings and visits by heads of state.

M.A.Starostenko, a department head at NARB, presented the exhibition to I.V.Petrishenko, First Deputy Secretary General of the CIS; E.I.Kovalenko, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Belarus; and the participants of the meeting of the Consultative Council of Heads of State Archival Services of the CIS member states.

1. Poster for the documentary exhibition

2. Documentary exhibition dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States

3. M.A.Starostenko, Head of Department at NARB, introduces the exhibition to I.V.Petrishenko, First Deputy Secretary General of the CIS, and E.I.Kovalenko, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Belarus

4. Archival documents on display at the exhibition