President Anatoly Bibilov met with Foreign Minister Dmitry Medoev, the presidential press service reported.
First of all, the head of state noted the productive work of the foreign policy department.
“Very positive and well-directed work. Undoubtedly, those trips that you had are very significant for the Republic of South Ossetia,” he said, after which he asked to report on the results of the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov.
“During this meeting, you discussed many different issues. This is also the question of the implementation of the Agreement on Dual Citizenship. I would like to hear how the direction of work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is moving, in particular, about partnership relations with the Russian Federation,” said Anatoly Bibilov.
Dmitry Medoev has noted that a plan of interaction until 2022 was signed between the foreign ministries of South Ossetia and Russia, according to which the important events took place for the Republic of South Ossetia in terms of interaction in the international arena this year.
“This year, several important documents were signed, among them the agreement that you mentioned on the simplified acquisition of Russian Federation citizenship by our citizens.
This agreement was ratified by our Parliament on December 1, and at the beginning of 2022 this document will be submitted for ratification by the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, after which it will enter into force after the exchange of instruments of ratification and notes, the dates of which will mean the entry into force of the Agreement. This will be followed by some adjustments to the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Passport and Visa Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and possibly several other departments. This is technical specifics so that every citizen already knows the steps that he must take to acquire the citizenship of the Russian Federation,” he said.
The Minister has assured that the relevant information will be brought to all citizens in time through the mass media of our Republic.
He has also stressed that the agreement is also very important because it was signed at a difficult time in international terms.
“As you noted during yesterday's press conference, the pressure of Western countries on Russia is increasing. And at this time, the Russian Federation has shown its firm position regarding South Ossetia," Dmitry Medoev said.
He told the President about the planned interaction of the foreign affairs agencies of South Ossetia and Russia at the international platforms.
“The position of the Russian Federation in relation to the Republic of South Ossetia remains unchanged. As Sergei Lavrov assured, all-round support for further recognition of South Ossetia from other states will be provided, as well as the support for South Ossetia's positions in the international arena will be strengthened,” the Foreign Miniser said.
Dmitry Medoev has also noted that special attention was paid to security issues in Transcaucasia, the importance of discussing which is largely due to the difficult situation in the region, in particular, regarding the buildup of US and NATO military activity in Georgia.
For his part, Anatoly Bibilov has noted that it is necessary to clearly indicate that South Ossetia is a reliable partner of the Russian Federation and, according to him, is not going to change the vector of its development in any political scenario.
“Russia is our only strategic partner, but, undoubtedly, South Ossetia has many friends and in the future the circle of our friends will be only expanding.
I think that we will still have the opportunity to rejoice that South Ossetia finds its recognition among other states and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia is actively working in this direction,” he said.
