Russia and South Ossetia this year will be celebrating the anniversary - 15 years of recognition of the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In addition, it will be the same number of years since the signing of the first framework agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia. This historic event took place on September 17, 2008, marking a new level of bilateral relations in the legal aspect. The further stage of development and deepening of the Russian-South Ossetian cooperation began eight years ago - on March 18, 2015, when the Treaty of Alliance and Integration was signed, which clearly defined the format of relations between Russia and South Ossetia.
The subsequent processes that have unfolded, including since February last year, confirmed the correctness of the course towards rapprochement with the Russian Federation. This became especially evident against the backdrop of new calls for the forceful return of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are increasingly heard on the streets of Tbilisi by pro-Western radicals who are ready once again to plunge their country into suicidal adventures at the behest of foreign patrons.
In the context of increasing revanchist sentiments in neighboring Georgia, threatening unpredictable consequences for the security of the region, the urgency of creating a unified defense and security circuit between Russia and South Ossetia – one of the main goals of the Treaty of Alliance and Integration - has more than visibly manifested itself.
This aspect of bilateral relations radically changes the degree of risk for hotheads who are ready to repeat Mikhail Saakashvili's military adventure. After all, now aggression and encroachment on the territorial integrity of South Ossetia will be regarded as aggression against the Russian Federation.
At the same time, the military-political component is only one of the factors determining the priority of developing relations with the Russian Federation for South Ossetia. Bilateral cooperation with the Russian Federation, a decade and a half after the historic decisions taken by the leadership of the Russian Federation in August 2008, continues to have a huge impact on the key issues of the state development of South Ossetia, largely due to the centuries-old foundation laid back in the second half of the 18th century. Such ideological narratives and historical traditions are always more stable than momentary interests caused by the current conjuncture.
In this regard, Russia and South Ossetia, in developing allied relations, demonstrate an enviable consistency that meets the interests of both countries.
At the present stage, the actions of Moscow and Tskhinval are aimed at strengthening stability in the region, at maintaining peace and developing dialogue on the entire spectrum of controversial issues characteristic of regional politics. And this is their fundamental difference from the format of interaction that has developed between the United States and its satellites in the Caucasus. The pressure that over the past year has been exerted on the Georgian authorities in the matter of joining the anti-Russian sanctions and opening the so-called second front to support Kyiv, clearly demonstrates the constancy of American priorities in the Caucasus, consisting in the lack of interest in the stable development of the republics located here and the peaceful resolution of the existing contradictions.
In addition to the military-political and foreign policy aspects that require South Ossetia to respond in a timely manner in cooperation with the Russian Federation, the current stage of the development of the Republic dictates the need to solve a number of tasks in line with strengthening statehood and giving greater dynamics to the Russian-South Ossetian relations in socio-economic sphere.
It is a matter of a clearer designation of benchmarks in the field of economy and mobilization of available resources to solve acute problems that impede the revival of industry, agriculture and other areas. And in this matter, it is difficult to overestimate the factor of support of Russia, which is ready to allocate significant funds for the designated goals.
Another area where there is a possibility of building up bilateral cooperation is the humanitarian sphere, where a significant reserve has been created over 15 years, expressed in the implementation of successful projects in the field of culture, science and education, in the creation of an appropriate regulatory framework, etc.
Meanwhile, the Concept of Russia's Humanitarian Policy Abroad, approved by President Vladimir Putin's decree in early September last year, can become a starting point for giving more momentum to contacts between the two countries in the humanitarian sphere. In the text of the document, as one of the priority tasks, the deepening of cooperation with the CIS countries, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the field of culture, science, education, youth policy, sports, and tourism is directly indicated. The relevance of the joint struggle against attempts to falsify history is also noted.
According to experts, the effective implementation of the Concept, in the presence of reciprocal initiatives from Tskhinval and Sukhum, can lead to a noticeable intensification of ties between friendly countries in these areas, contributing to the formation and development of a single humanitarian space with a common value matrix and cultural codes.
