South Ossetia and Russia signed the agreement on dual citizenship. According to the document, citizens of one party have the right to acquire the citizenship of the other party without renouncing their citizenship.
The agreement was signed on Monday by South Ossetian Foreign Minister Dmitry Medoev and Russian Ambassador to South Ossetia Marat Kulakhmetov.
Earlier, the draft agreement with South Ossetia on dual citizenship and on a simplified procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship by citizens of the Republic was approved by the head of the Russian state Vladimir Putin at the suggestion of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"The Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation ... based on the provisions of Article 8 of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation of September 17, 2008, taking into account the provisions of Article 6 of the Treaty between the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation The Federation of Alliance and Integration of March 18, 2015, striving for a fair and humane settlement of issues related to dual citizenship, agreed on the following ... ", - the preamble of the agreement reads.
It is symbolic that the signing of the Agreement is timed to coincide with the national holiday - Republic Day.
About the Agreement
The text of the Agreement explains that citizens of one party have the right to acquire the citizenship of the other party without renouncing their citizenship. Russia grants citizens of South Ossetia (at the time of the Republic's recognition on August 26, 2008) who have reached the age of majority, the right to apply for admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.
In this case, the conditions for admission to citizenship, the procedure for submitting applications for admission, the list of documents to be submitted and the procedure for considering applications are established by the President of Russia.
It is also noted that persons who are citizens of both parties enjoy the rights to social security, education, medical care in accordance with the legislation of the party in whose territory they permanently reside. At the same time, any party has the right to provide such persons with rights and benefits, even if they live in the territory of the other party. The parties also provide each other upon request with information on the acquisition by persons with dual citizenship of the citizenship of the third state.
The Agreement is subject to ratification and enters into force on the date of the exchange of the instruments of ratification. It is valid for five years and is automatically renewed for subsequent five-year periods, unless one of the parties notifies the other through official channels six months before the expiration of the next five-year period.
"The termination of the Agreement does not automatically entail the termination of the citizenship of either party. The further stay of persons holding the citizenship of both parties is governed by applicable international treaties and the legislation of the parties," the document has summarized.
