President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov commented on the statements of the Georgian authorities on joining NATO by 2021.
In an interview with Izvestia, he has stated that the intentions of the official Tbilisi cannot but worry South Ossetia, in connection with which the Republic, together with the Russian Federation, is building a unified contour of security and defense.
"Georgia has the right to join any alliances, South Ossetia cannot prevent it. At the same time, this cannot but alarm, therefore, everything is done to protect the people of the Republic from possible provocations and power scenarios. That is why South Ossetia is building a common securitycircuit with Russia, and the measures taken in this respect must meet, including the possibility of emerging the NATO forces near our borders ," said Anatoly Bibilov.
At the same time, the leader of South Ossetia specified that it was not about strengthening the Russian military presence on the territory of the Republic.
Earlier, at the Geneva discussions the delegation of South Ossetia expressed concern over the integration of Georgia into NATO and the creation of new infrastructure facilities of the Alliance in the territory of the neighboring state.
In a message to the media, South Ossetian diplomats have noted that against the background of Georgia's persistent refusal to commit itself to the non-use of force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the continuing rapprochement between Tbilisi and NATO is of particular concern.
In turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has stressed that Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia reserve the right to take appropriate measures in response to the growing activity of the North Atlantic Alliance in Transcaucasia.
