On Thursday, March 16, Moscow will host a meeting between presidents of South Ossetia and Russia, Alan Gagloev and Vladimir Putin. This was announced at the briefing by the press Secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov.
“Today, the working visit of President of South Ossetia Alan Gagloev, postponed earlier for medical reasons, will take place, and his conversation with President of Russia will take place,” Peskov said.
"Of course, bilateral relations with South Ossetia are very important in our work," Peskov said.
It should be reminded that the meeting of the heads of the two states was supposed to take place at the end of February, but it was postponed to a later date due to the coronavirus infection detected in Gagloev.
The meeting between Putin and Gagloev will be the first after the election of the South Ossetian politician to the post of president of the Republic. In May 2022, he defeated Anatoly Bibilov, the then head of the Republic, in the second round of voting. President of the Russian Federation then sent congratulation to his colleague, in which he expressed hope for further strengthening of relations between the two countries. Putin also assured that Russia would continue to provide all possible support to South Ossetia in resolving socio-economic issues and in matters of ensuring national security.
In turn, Gagloev called Russia the main ally of South Ossetia. The President noted that the only vector for the development of the Republic is integration with the Russian Federation. President of South Ossetia has repeatedly stressed that people of the Republic will always be grateful to the Russian leadership for saving and recognizing the independence.
In October 2022, Alan Gagloev supported the entry of the DPR, the LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into the Russian Federation. According to President of the Republic, such a decision will bring the long-awaited peace and development to these territories, as well as ensure the safety of the inhabitants.
Interstate relations between Russia and South Ossetia
On August 26, 2008, by the decree of President of the Russian Federation, Republic of South Ossetia was recognized as a sovereign and independent state. On September 9, 2008, diplomatic relations were established; on September 17, 2008, the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia. On April 27, 2009, the embassy of the Russian Federation was opened in Tskhinval.
On March 18, 2015, the Treaty of Alliance and Integration was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia. The agreement is the basis for the gradual establishment of closer cooperation between Russia and South Ossetia while maintaining the state sovereignty of the Republic. The Agreement was concluded for a period of 25 years with the possibility of its extension for subsequent ten-year periods.
The legal framework of bilateral relations consists of about 120 documents.
On July 13, 2009, the first visit of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev to South Ossetia took place. On August 8, 2012, Medvedev paid a working visit to Tskhinval as Prime Minister of Russia.
On May 10, 2022, Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to the elected President of South Ossetia, Gagloev, on the occasion of his victory in the May 8 elections.
Gagloev visited Moscow in June and August 2022. An active dialogue is supported by the foreign ministries of the two countries.
On November 1, 2022, a meeting was held in Moscow between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia Akhsar Dzhioev.
Inter-parliamentary ties are growing
In November 2022, a working visit of a Federation Council delegation to Tskhinval took place, during which Sergei Tsekov, a member of the International Affairs Committee, met with Gagloev.
Deputies of the South Ossetian Parliament took part in the III International Conference "The role of interaction between factions of political parties and blocs in inter-parliamentary cooperation of the CIS countries", which was held in Moscow from December 13 to 15, 2022. During the visit, a meeting was held between Chairman of the Parliament of South Ossetia Alan Alborov and Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.
The Russian and South Ossetian delegations cooperate closely within the framework of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia. The last round took place on October 5, 2022 in Geneva (Switzerland).
The key role in bilateral cooperation belongs to the Intergovernmental Commission on Socio - Economic Cooperation formed in accordance with the Agreement on Assistance to the Republic of South Ossetia in Socio- Economic Development dated August 26, 2009.
On February 8, 2023, its regular meeting of the IGC was held in Moscow.
Russia has been providing the Republic with large-scale socio-economic assistance. In 2013, the Tskhinval garment factory was restored, in 2017 the Rastdon meat processing complex was opened, and the production of the Ossetian mineral water was launched. Among the socially significant facilities built by Russia are the main gas pipeline "Vladikavkaz-Tskhinval", the Transcaucasia highway (Transkam), power transmission lines to Leningor district.
The Investment Program for Promotion of the Socio- Economic Development of the Republic of South Ossetia for 2020-2022 has been implemented with a total funding of 4.5 billion rubles (one and a half billion annually). It included 52 activities aimed at the construction of social facilities, engineering and transport infrastructure.
In November 2022, the Investment Program for the Promotion of the Socio-Economic Development of South Ossetia for 2023-2025 was approved. The total amount of its financing is 3.587 billion rubles, including 1.157 billion rubles in 2023, 1.215 billion rubles in 2024, and 1.215 billion rubles in 2025. The program provides for the implementation of 46 activities, including 37, the implementation of which was launched in previous investment programs to promote the socio-economic development of the Republic.
The implementation of the investment projects in the field of agriculture, processing industry, logistics and tourism is being discussed.
In 2021, the Russian-South Ossetian trade turnover amounted to more than $130.2 million. Of these, Russian exports - $107.5 million, imports - $22.8 million.
At the end of 2022, trade between the countries increased by 4.2% and amounted to $135.7 million.
Russian export is represented by food products and agricultural raw materials, mineral products, textiles and footwear, chemical industry products, etc.; Russian imports - textiles and footwear, food products and agricultural raw materials, etc.
Cooperation in the gas field is developing. In particular, Gazprom allocated 10 billion rubles for the construction of the Dzaurikau-Tskhinval gas pipeline in the Republic.
It was launched on August 26, 2009 in Tskhinval, with a capacity of 252.5 million cubic meters per year.
The gas pipeline to Tskhinval made it possible to gasify the capital of the Republic. The next in line for gasification were the southern ddustricts of the Republic. In 2010, for these purposes, a joint venture between Gazprom and the government of the Republic of South Ossetia, Co Ltd Gazprom - South Ossetia, was established. In 2015, the first scheme of general gasification of the Republic appeared. It provided for the gasification of about 200 settlements, the construction of more than 520 kilometers of inter-settlement and over 370 kilometers of intra-settlement gas pipelines. However, the process began to "slip" due to lack of investment.
In 2019, another gasification scheme was adopted, but the process was slow. As a result, Gazprom decided to acquire a stake in Gazprom-South Ossetia, thus assuming responsibility for investing at least 2 billion rubles in the development of the pipeline. There is cooperation in the military sphere.
On the basis of the Agreement on a joint Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia dated April 7, 2010, the 4th joint Russian military base is located in the Republic, the task of which is to protect the sovereignty and security of the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia. Under the Agreement on Joint Efforts to Protect the State Border dated April 30, 2009, South Ossetia delegated to the Russian party the powers to protect its border with Georgia. These tasks are bringing solved by the Border Department of the FSB of Russia in the Republic of South Ossetia.
On March 31, 2017, Moscow and Tskhinval signed the interstate agreement on the entry of part of the South Ossetian troops into the Russian army. In July 2017, Parliament of South Ossetia ratified the agreement with Russia on the procedure for the entry of certain units of the South Ossetian army into the Russian Armed Forces. On February 5, 2018, Putin signed a law on the ratification of the agreement between Russia and South Ossetia on the procedure for the inclusion of certain units of the Republic's armed forces into the Russian army. The parties are actively cooperating in the humanitarian sphere and education.
On April 4, 2012, Parliament of South Ossetia adopted a constitutional law "On the state languages of the Republic of South Ossetia", according to which Russian, along with Ossetian, is one of the two state languages of the Republic.
Russia annually allocates educational quotas for South Ossetian applicants.
Russia is providing assistance to South Ossetia in the fight against a new coronavirus infection.
In May 2021, vaccination against coronavirus with the Russian drug Sputnik V began in South Ossetia. In November 2021, the Republic received the Sputnik Light vaccine.
Interaction with South Ossetia through the regions of the Russian Federation is multifaceted. Cooperation agreements have been signed with the Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Tambov and Ulyanovsk regions, the Kabardino-Balkarian and Karachay-Cherkessia Republics, North Ossetia, Crimea.
