High-level relations have developed between South Ossetia and Russia, which are observed in all spheres of the life of the Republic, noted ex-President of the Republic Leonid Tibilov in a commentary to IA “Res” on the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Alliance and Integration between South Ossetia and the Russian Federation.
The document was signed on March 18, 2015 by the leaders of the two countries, Vladimir Putin and Leonid Tibilov.
“People of South Ossetia will always be grateful to great Russia, to the top leadership of the Russian state in the person of President Vladimir Putin, for the attention and support that has been providing to the Republic to this day. We have done a lot of work on the development and deepening of bilateral interstate relations. It continues, and today more than 100 treaties and agreements have been signed between the two states. The task of the state is to fill the contractual and legal framework,” said Leonid Tibilov.
Pursuing a balanced foreign policy
According to the ex-President, “The Treaty of Alliance and Integration, signed between the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation on March 18, 2015, is a strategic document, it fully complies with the norms and principles of international law and means the transition of relations between Russia and South Ossetia to a new level, expanding contractual framework."
“The main principle of this Agreement is to conduct a balanced foreign policy with the main strategic partner and ally. The document assumes mutual consideration of interests in various areas of cooperation, informing each other about the actions taken in this regard, as well as close cooperation in strengthening peace, increasing stability and security in the Caucasus region,” Tibilov said.
He added that "according to the document, the strengthening of allied relations based on deep historical and spiritual ties is in the national interests of both states, confirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations."
“In this regard, it is worth remembering the events of August 2008, when Georgia went to open war against our Republic, attacked the sleeping city of Tskhinval. Our people were on the verge of extermination, and the Russian peacekeepers were the first to take the fire, who died heroically defending the civilian population. This day will forever remain in the grateful memory of our people, as well as the Day of Recognition of the Independence of South Ossetia by Russia on August 26, 2008,” Tibilov said.
The ex-leader of the Republic has emphasized that after 2008 there were noticeable changes in the world, many principles and goals of the UN Charter no longer worked in full force.
“The UN Charter exists. Another thing is how these principles are implemented by individual countries - members of the UN. South Ossetia to this day adheres to the principles prescribed in the Treaty, since they have not been canceled,” the politician has noted.
Ensuring the security of the Republic
Tibilov has clarified that “The Treaty of Alliance and Integration with Russia provides for the formation of a single defense and security contour and provides that if one of the contracting parties is subjected to aggression or an armed attack by any other state or group of states, then this will be considered as aggression also against the other contracting party.”
“And this is a very important point, which is becoming relevant even today in the light of the events taking place in the world and the calls of the United States and Western countries to Georgia to open a second front against Russia in the South Caucasus. This could be regarded as the beginning of hostilities against South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Georgia. And here we have complete confidence that Russia will provide us with military assistance,” he said.
To the prehistory of the signing of the allied treaty with Russia
According to the politician, practically all ministries and departments of South Ossetia worked on the text of the bilateral agreement, the political council met several times.
“A working group was also created, which included representatives of the executive and legislative authorities, who presented the text of the agreement. Ultimately, the draft treaty was agreed upon with the Russian colleagues, submitted to the government, and at the end the document was signed by the presidents of the two countries. The agreement concerns all spheres of life and is aimed at the development of state structures and bodies,” said the ex-President.
Leonid Tibilov has emphasized that the opening of a joint information and coordination center (ICC) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs took place in accordance with the signed agreement.
“The activities of the ICC are aimed at the joint fight against crime in the territories of South Ossetia and Russia, and today we can already note positive results.
A separate line in the document is the development of the social sphere - wage increases, the implementation of social benefits, the implementation of the investment program, etc. The implementation of all these areas became possible only thanks to the allied agreement signed with Russia in 2015.
Active pace of implementation of the Agreement
Another important point the politician called the fact that “the Treaty was concluded for a period of 25 years and is automatically extended for subsequent ten-year periods, if one of the contracting parties does not declare by written notification of its desire to terminate it no later than a year before expiration of the next period of its validity.
Tibilov drew attention to the fact that "amendments may be made to the agreements, which are the integral part of it, and are formalized by separate protocols."
“If some issues lose their relevance today or new conditions arise that require changes to the document, then the Agreement gives the parties the right to propose changes by sending the appropriate request from the parties. Each item can be supplemented, developed and amended,” the ex-President noted.
The implementation of the clauses of the agreement, as noted by Leonil Tibilov, has been at an active pace since its signing and continues to this day.
“Today I would like to note the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Ministry, headed by Akhsar Dzhioev, began monitoring and assisting in the implementation of the signed agreements. This is done in order to strengthen contacts with the Russian party and fill them with further content,” the politician said.
The ex-President has noted that South Ossetia has always considered Russia a strategic partner, supported the course of the Russian state, and this is confirmed today by the participation of the South Ossetian guys as volunteers and as part of regular Russian troops in the special military operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass.
Tibilov has reminded that "the signing of the bilateral agreement on March 18, 2015 caused a positive response in the society, the significance of the document for the development of relations between South Ossetia and Russia was repeatedly noted by the experts at different levels of the two states."
The Treaty was ratified on April 3, 2015. The event then brought together in Tskhinval representatives of the authorities and the public, scientific and creative intelligentsia. All speakers noted the importance of the signed bilateral agreement, its great importance in the development of the South Ossetian-Russian relations.
