Status: 05/31/2022 02:25 am
In the South Ossetia region, which has broken away from Georgia, there will be no referendum on annexation to Russia for the time being. The new president canceled his predecessor’s plans – and wants to hold talks with Moscow first.
The Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia has canceled a referendum planned for mid-July on joining Russia. The new president of the pro-Russian region, Alan Gagloyev, canceled his predecessor’s plans.
In a decree, Gagloyev emphasized the “uncertainty about the legal consequences” of a referendum. It is not permissible to unilaterally decide by referendum on issues that affect the “legitimate rights and interests of the Russian Federation,” it said. Instead, Gagloyev announced talks with Moscow about the “further integration” of South Ossetia.
Russian soldiers stationed since 2008
Gagloyev’s predecessor, Anatoly Bibilov, issued a decree about two weeks ago calling for a referendum on South Ossetia’s accession to Russia, emphasizing that this corresponds to the “historic aspirations” of the people in the region. However, Bibilov had lost the subsequent election to Gagloev. Russia expected him to ensure the “continuity” of relations.
Russia officially recognized the independence of the pro-Russian separatist region and neighboring Abkhazia in August 2008 after a brief military conflict with Georgia. Since then, Russian forces have been stationed there.
Georgia is firmly against the accession of what it considers a breakaway region to Russia. The country is thus in a similar situation to Ukraine, where shortly before the start of the war Moscow also recognized the independence of the pro-Russian separatist regions in the east of the country.