South Ossetia Ready To Further Boost Ties With Russia - Foreign Minister

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) South Ossetia appreciates strong bilateral relations with Russia and is ready to improve them further, South Ossetian acting Foreign Minister Dmitry Medoev said on Monday during a meeting with top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov.

"We appreciate the inter-state relations that have developed since the recognition of the state independence of South Ossetia by the Russian Federation. And overall we characterize this process unequivocally positively and we are ready for further steps to strengthen bilateral relations," Medoev said.

The minister stressed that the South Ossetian foreign policy prioritized relations with Russia, which supported the republic's sovereignty and independence.

"South Ossetia has been and always will be a reliable ally and loyal friend of Russia in the Caucasus. This was the will of our ancestors, and this is the main strategic line of the foreign policy of our country," Medoev said, adding that Russia's recognition of South Ossetia as a sovereign and independent state was "an irreversible reality. And we highly appreciate the strong position of the Russian leadership on this issue."

The minister also said that Russia's medical assistance allowed South Ossetia to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the republic.

"A lot of work was done to prevent the spread of infection in the republic, protect the health of citizens and help all those in need. The Russian Federation provided great assistance by setting up a mobile hospital in Tskhinvali, through which a significant proportion of the republic's citizens were treated," Medoev said.

On August 7, 2008, Georgia launched a military offensive against its breakaway region of South Ossetia and partially destroyed its capital of Tskhinval. Russia sent troops to South Ossetia in an attempt to protect local residents, many of whom were Russian nationals. After five days of hostilities, Russia managed to expel Georgian troops from the self-proclaimed republic. Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia on August 26, 2008.