On 18 July 2010, the delegation of the Republic of South Ossetia headed by the President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity arrived in Managua to participate in the celebrations devoted to the 31st anniversary of the Revolution. The invitation from the President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega to the President of South Ossetia was received after the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua Samuel Santos to South Ossetia in June.
To honor the high guest, a guard of honor of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Nicaragua was rowed in the airport of Managua. After the state anthem of the Republic of South Ossetia was played, the official ceremony was concluded with a marching of the guard of honor.
On 19 July, the delegation of South Ossetia participated in the official events held at the central square of Managua – Plaza la Fe. In his speech to the half-million audience, the president of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoiyt addressed the people of Nicaragua with words of gratitude for the support to the just struggle of the people of South Ossetia.
Ob behalf of his people and the state, Eduard Kokoity expressed his highest consideration and gratitude to Daniel Ortega for recognition of the state independence of South Ossetia. He underlined that this act was certainly a brave decision of the leadership of Nicaragua, pointing to a particular role of the president Daniel Ortega. “We brought to the freedom-loving people of Nicaragua the warmth of the hearts of our people and words of gratitude for support to our just struggle”. President Kokoity made an invitation to President Ortega to visit the Republic of South Ossetia. The invitation was thankfully received by the president of Nicaragua.
In their speeches, the Presidents Eduard Kokoity and Daniel Ortega underlined the historic significance of the recognition of South Ossetia’s independence by Russia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, as a justifiable result of the 20-year struggle of the people of South Ossetia for freedom and independence. The official negotiations continued until 20 July within the frames of high level bilateral meetings, which resulted in signing of inter-governmental agreements.
In this turn, President Daniel Ortega expressed his excitement over the self-sacrificing struggle of the people of South Ossetia for independence. He underlined that “the people of Nicaragua knows the price of independence, for it had been defending its liberty for more than 30 years and it always felt support among the peoples of the Soviet Union, which South Ossetia was a part of. By recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, we based ourselves on the fact that Nicaragua is a sovereign and independent state able to make its sovereign decisions. All people have the right for freedom and independence, moreover, if they have to lead an armed struggle for this.”
In the bilateral negotiation, as a sign of gratitude and appreciation of the contribution to the international liberation movement, and the brave decision on recognition of the state independence of South Ossetia, President Kokoity awarded President Ortega with the highest state award of the Republic of South Ossetia – Watsamong Order. In his turn, Daniel Ortega awarded Eduard Kokoity with the state award of the Republic of Nicaragua. The official visit of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia to Nicaragua finished on 21 July.
