Issues of economic development of the Republic, strengthening the country's defense capability, manifestations of civil society and a number of other topics were discussed at the round table “Republic of South Ossetia: Challenges and Opportunities of 2024” at the Ir media center in Tskhinval.
The participants in the discussion were political scientists, experts, members of the Parliament, and young people. The head of the Ir media center, Irina Gagloeva, has noted that the main challenge for the Republic today is related to its security.
“We see what the geopolitical situation is in the world, in Ukraine, the Middle East. What happened in Nagorno-Karabakh clearly showed the complexity of the processes in the South Caucasus. We all, of course, understand that today we are connected by a serious regulatory framework with Russia, and this is a serious guarantee of our security. However, we also need our own defense forces,” Gagloeva said.
She also called the economic security of the Republic the important problem. According to her, serious reforms are needed in this area.
“The economic bloc is pulling with it the social bloc, this includes healthcare, education, demography, that is, other areas suffer too,” explained the head of the media center.
According to Gagloeva, another of the serious internal challenges of the last 15 years is the lack of dialogue between the authorities and the public.
“We don’t hear each other, everyone is on their own,” she has noted.
A political scientist Yuri Vazagov has emphasized that 2024 for South Ossetia will be marked by a number of challenges in today's politics.
“They are directly related to the geopolitical processes that have unfolded in the post-Soviet space and the Middle East. A certain acceleration of all these processes was given by a special military operation. What we now call the formation of a more balanced multipolar world order is happening directly before our eyes and is beginning to be reflected, among other things, in our region,” Vazagov said.
In his opinion, these processes pose a serious threat to South Ossetia.
“The threats are also related to the fact that our neighbors quickly adapt to changes. They are greatly increasing their military strength, building contacts and developing cooperation in all possible areas. There are a lot of diverse processes going on, and in certain situations they can create certain difficulties for us. Difficulties will again be associated with the fact that the internal situation in our Republic is unstable,” Vazagov has emphasized.
He has added that among the political elites in the Republic there is no developed consolidated agenda on many issues.
“There is no understanding of any red lines that cannot be crossed in the interests of the Republic, its image and security, etc. There are many unresolved issues that affect stability in our country,” he has noted.
According to him, in general, there are a lot of tasks planned for 2024 that need to be solved, and they need to be approached responsibly.
“The main one, of course, is that parliamentary elections in the Republic took place within the framework of the law, without loud scandals and consequences. So that the internal political situation in the country remains stable and we can more actively and cogently promote our foreign policy agenda, including in the relations with Russia,” Vazagov has added.
According to expert Aza Tibilova, all problems in the Republic can be solved if they are approached systematically.
“First of all, we must understand the situation in which we find ourselves. A thorough, comprehensive analysis must be carried out, affecting politics, social and economic spheres, and only on the basis of this analysis, the directions that we will follow must be outlined,” Tibilova said.
A member of Parliament Zita Besayeva noted that the priority for the Republic should be state security, political stability and economic development.
“The new government has given everyone the opportunity to realize themselves, regardless of party affiliation, in areas where they could produce results. The activities of an official should primarily be focused on the development of the Republic. There are problems and they need to be solved. Our main concern is to defend our positions on every platform where it is possible,” Besayeva has emphasized.
She has noted that every official must be responsible for their decisions, noting that this is her principled position, regardless of who is in power.
“This is not private property, this is our state and everyone must take a responsible approach to the present and future of our state,” she has added.
Deputy Atsamaz Bibilov, in turn, has emphasized that serious topics and problems are being raised today, but everything remains in words, without taking any measures.
“The security of the Republic and demography are the areas that our attention should be directed to. These are common problems for the Republic, and we must work together on them, act together and hear each other,” Bibilov said.
Irina Gagloeva has noted that the range of issues discussed is extensive, and therefore the discussion will be continued at the next round table.
