Starting in 2000,
the CIS interrelationship showed an abrupt change from its low ebb condition characterized by "wheels
revolving, but the vehicle stuck up. " It began to give a new, fresh impression. The CIS members basically ironed out their differences on the issue of "confederation" and "independence. " They came to a common agreement that the CIS was the best form of multilateral
cooperation. The
integration of sub - regions showed a momentum of collective cooperation transcending the CIS, a momentum favorable to the alignment of the CIS as a whole. The bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine as bellwethers of the two integrated sub -regional organizations gradually matured and possessed special significance. The establishment of CIS anti-terrorism center, joint express reaction troops and collective security treaty organization marked a brand new change in the military cooperation between the CIS members. But the emergence of these positive factors did not mean a radical, qualitative change in the CIS integration. It was only an accelerated process of quantitative change, or a partial qualitative change in the general process of quantitative change. The CIS will have a long way to go if it is to come to the critical quantitative joining point in its integration and leap from quantitative to qualitative change.