Abstract

The chapter argues that regional competition between the EU and Russia unfolds on several levels and, whereas much attention has been paid to the executive level, inter-parliamentary cooperation in the post-Soviet space remains understudied. Yet the latter has contributed to regional dynamics and has served as a channel of Russian foreign policy in its neighbourhood. Analysis of political, economic and security cooperation in the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization demonstrated an important role of inter-parliamentary cooperation in promotion of Russian international narratives, legitimization of elections, facilitation of the regional economic integration and supporting the remaining elements of common identity. It is concluded that, building on two decades of parliamentary cooperation in the CIS, recently the Russian parliament has started to actively establish itself as an active participant in international parliamentary diplomacy.