 | |
 South Ossetia |  Russia |
|---|---|
Russia–South Ossetia relations (Russian:Российско-южноосетинские отношения,Ossetian:Хъуыд Уӕрӕсе-Хуссар Ирыстон) refers to thebilateral relationship betweenRussia and theRepublic of South Ossetia, a disputed region in theSouth Caucasus, located on the territory of theSouth Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the formerGeorgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
South Ossetiadeclared its independence fromGeorgia in 1991 during theGeorgian–Ossetian conflict,[1] but the entity isrecognized by only 5 UN recognized states. In the aftermath of the conflict Russia extended citizenship to many of South Ossetia's citizens.[2][3]
Following several months of increased tensions in the region,[4] on the night of 7 to 8 August 2008, theGeorgian militarylaunched an offensive onTskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital.[5] The leader of Georgian peacekeepers in South Ossetia said the purpose was to restore constitutional order in the region.[6] The majority of the inhabitants of South Ossetia holdRussian citizenship, and Russia citingChapter VII Article 51 of theUnited Nations Charter sent troops into South Ossetia through theRoki Tunnel in the morning of 8 August.[citation needed]Russian presidentDmitry Medvedev, in noting the deaths of Russian peacekeepers and South Ossetian civilians, stated: "In accordance with the Constitution and the federal laws, as President of the Russian Federation it is my duty to protect the lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they may be."[7][8] After five days of fighting, on 12 AugustFrench presidentNicolas Sarkozy brokered a ceasefire agreement.[citation needed] Under the terms of the agreement, Russia agreed to withdraw fromsecurity zones in Georgia proper by 10 October. Russia completed the withdrawal on 8 October 2008.[9]
On 21 August 2008, the same day as a similar event inAbkhazia, arally was held inTskhinvali at which the people of South Ossetia appealed toRussian presidentDmitry Medvedev and theRussian Federal Assembly for official recognition of their independence as sovereign states.[citation needed]President of South OssetiaEduard Kokoity flew toMoscow on 23 August 2008 to deliver South Ossetia's appeal in an address to theFederation Council.[citation needed] After hearing the appeals from both the Abkhazian and South Ossetian leadership, on 25 August 2008 the Federation Council andState Duma passed motions calling upon President Medvedev to recognise the independence of the two regions and to establishdiplomatic relations with them.[citation needed]
On 26 August 2008, President Medvedev signedpresidential decreesrecognising the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia[10] In his address to the Russian nation, Medvedev noted that he was guided by the provisions of theUN Charter, the1970 Declaration on the Principles of International Law Governing Friendly Relations Between States, theCSCE Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and other fundamentalinternational instruments in issuing the decree, and further stated, "(t)his is not an easy choice to make, but it represents the only possibility to save human lives."[11] Eduard Kokoity described the Russian decision to recognise South Ossetian independence as "noble", and stated that it would contribute to stability in the entireSouth Caucasus region.[12]
Many high level Russian politicians includingRussian presidentDmitry Medvedev,[citation needed]Prime MinisterVladimir Putin, Deputy Prime MinisterSergey Ivanov,[citation needed]Chairman of the State DumaBoris Gryzlov,[citation needed]Minister of Foreign AffairsSergey Lavrov,Permanent Representative of Russia to the United NationsVitaly Churkin[13] andPermanent Representative of Russia to NATODmitry Rogozin,[citation needed] rejected the criticism, and have stated that Russian recognition of South Ossetia is irreversible. In an interview toVesti in August 2009, Sergey Lavrov stated that Russian recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was not planned when the 2008 war began.[citation needed]
As a result of the Russian recognition of Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence,Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia on 29 August 2008,[14] and declared that it regards South Ossetia and Abkhazia asoccupied territories.[citation needed]
.JPG)
Russia and South Ossetia establisheddiplomatic relations on 9 September 2008, whenRussian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov andSouth Ossetian Minister of Foreign AffairsMurat Dzhioyev exchanged notes at theRussian Foreign Ministry inMoscow.[15]
On 25 September 2008, President Medvedev signed an ukaz appointing the firstRussian Ambassador to South Ossetia,Elbrus Kargiyev,[16] who presented hisLetters of Credence to South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity on 16 December 2008.[citation needed]Dmitry Medoyev, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Republic of South Ossetia to Russia was appointed by Eduard Kokoity as South Ossetia's firstambassador to Russia on 13 January 2009.[17] Medoyev presented his credentials to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 16 January 2009.[18]
Russian prime ministerVladimir Putin issued a directive to set up aRussian embassy in South Ossetia in 2009.[19]
Eduard Kokoity said during talks withRussian presidentDmitry Medvedev that it would become part of Russia within "several years",[20] but later retracted the comments in an interview withInterfax and stated that he may have been misunderstood, and that South Ossetia would not give up its independence.[21]Russian Minister of Foreign AffairsSergey Lavrov, whilst inWarsaw, denied that South Ossetia would join theRussian Federation.[21] Lavrov's position was also mirrored in August 2009 byDmitry Medoyev, who stated that "South Ossetia will be building an independent state".[22]
On 17 September 2008, Russia and South Ossetia signed atreaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance atthe Kremlin in Moscow. According to Eduard Kokoity sets out the long term basic objectives and principles in all areas for the strategic partnership between South Ossetia and Russia.[23][24] In a statement after the signing of the treaty, President Medvedev warned Georgia that "another military adventure" would lead to a "regional catastrophe".[23] The treaty was ratified by theState Duma on 29 October 2008.[25]
In September 2008,United Russia and theUnity Party signed a strategic partnership in order to increase political cooperation between Russia and South Ossetia.[26]
On 30 April 2009, Russia and South Ossetia concluded negotiations and signed a border protection treaty atthe Kremlin, which would seeRussian Border Guards patrolling and securing the South Ossetian borders, until such time as the South Ossetian government had set up its own service.[citation needed]
President Medvedev made a working visit to Tskhinvali on 13 July 2009, becoming the first Russian leader to visit South Ossetia.[27] The visit, which was criticised by Georgia,[citation needed] saw Medvedev confirming that Russia would increase contacts with South Ossetia and would implement numerous projects to assist in the rebuilding effort in the Republic.[28]
Following Medvedev's visit,Prosecutor GeneralYury Chaika,Emergencies MinisterSergey Shoygu andMinister of Internal AffairsRashid Nurgaliyev travelled to South Ossetia on 21 July 2009, where they attended the opening of two rural police stations, and attended the signing of an interagency agreement between the two countries prosecutorial agencies.[citation needed]
On 7 August 2009, Dmitry Medvedev in an interview for the documentaryIn August 2008... stated that Russia would continue to develop bilateral ties with South Ossetia "regardless of whether somebody likes it or not."[29][30]
The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance which was signed in September 2008 came into force on 20 January 2009, and stipulates a Russian guarantee of military intervention in case South Ossetia should be attacked.[23][24]Nikolay Makarov, theChief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, confirmed in November 2008 that the full complement of 3,700Russian soldiers had been deployed to South Ossetia, in accordance with themutual assistance treaty.[citation needed] After the signing of the 30 April treaty, Russian Border Guards were sent to South Ossetia and began patrolling the border with Georgia.[31]
In June 2009, Makarov stated that it was likely that the Russian military presence in South Ossetia would be reduced, but that the development and staffing of the Russian military base near Tskhinvali would proceed as planned.[citation needed] In an August 2009 interview toRIA Novosti, Eduard Kokoity stated that he does not believe there is a need for an increaseRussian military presence in South Ossetia, and that theRussian Border Guards have eased tensions in Georgian populated areas of the Republic.[citation needed]
The "alliance and integration" treaty signed between Russia and South Ossetia in March 2015 formally incorporated the South Ossetian military into theRussian Armed Forces.[32]
Due to its small population and lack ofnatural resources, theeconomy of South Ossetia is entirely dependent on Russian finance and assistance,[33] and it was formally integrated into theRussian economy by treaty in March 2015.[32] After being instructed byRussian prime ministerVladimir Putin,[34] in March 2009, Russia allocated 2.8 billionrubles from theRussian federal budget, as part of agreements between theRussian Ministry of Finance and its South Ossetian counterpart, which were based on the treaty signed in September 2008. Russia also allocated an additional 8.5 billion rubles to South Ossetia in order to assist in rebuilding housing, social amenities and utilities which were destroyed or damaged during the 2008 war.[citation needed] According to Eduard Kokoity, seventy percent of residential housing and eighty percent of administrative buildings in Tskhinvali were destroyed in theGeorgian shelling of the city in 2008, but this could not be confirmed.[citation needed]
On 30 August 2008, Tarzan Kokoity, the Deputy Speaker of South Ossetia's parliament, announced that the regionwould soon be absorbed into Russia, so that South and North Ossetians could live together in one united Russian state.[35] Russian and South Ossetian forces began giving residents inAkhalgori, the biggest town in the predominantly ethnic Georgian eastern part of South Ossetia, the choice of accepting Russian citizenship or leaving.[36] However,Eduard Kokoity, the then president of South Ossetia, later stated that South Ossetia would not forgo its independence by joining Russia: "We are not going to say no to our independence, which has been achieved at the expense of many lives; South Ossetia has no plans to join Russia." Civil Georgia has said that this statement contradicts previous ones made by Kokoity earlier that day, when he indicated that South Ossetia would joinNorth Ossetia in the Russian Federation.[35][37]
The South Ossetian and Russian presidents signed an "alliance and integration" treaty on 18 March 2015.[38] The agreement includes provisions to incorporate the South Ossetian military into Russia's armed forces, integrate the customs service of South Ossetia into that of Russia's, and commit Russia to paying state worker salaries in South Ossetia at rates equal to those in theNorth Caucasus Federal District.[39] TheAssociated Press described the treaty as calling for "nearly full integration" and compared it to a 2014 agreement between Russia andAbkhazia.[38] The Georgian Foreign Ministry described the signing of the treaty as "actual annexation" of the disputed region by Russia, and theUnited States andEuropean Union said they would not recognize it.[40][41]
In another move towards integration with the Russian Federation, South Ossetian presidentLeonid Tibilov proposed in December 2015 a name change to "South Ossetia–Alania" — in analogy with "North Ossetia–Alania", a Russian federal subject. Tibilov furthermore suggested holding a referendum on joining the Russian Federation prior to April 2017, which would lead to a united "Ossetia–Alania".[42] In April 2016, Tibilov said he intended to hold the referendum before August of that year.[43][44] However, on 30 May, Tibilov postponed the referendum until after the presidential election due in April 2017.[45] At thename change referendum, nearly 80 percent of those who voted endorsed the name change.
On 30 March 2022, PresidentAnatoly Bibilov announced his intention to begin legal proceedings in the near future to integration with the Russian Federation.[46]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
| Bilateral relations |  | |
|---|---|---|
| International organizations | ||
| Related topics | ||
