De Facto South Ossetian Foreign Minister Pays “Working Visit” to Italy

The de facto Foreign Minister of Georgia’s Russian-backed South Ossetia, Dmitry Medoev, has paid a working visit to Italy, where he held a series of meetings with representatives of political and cultural circles.

The information was released by the breakaway South Ossetian news agency PEC.

The article reads that the “minister” participated in the opening of the exhibition "Colors of the Caucasus" in the Gallery of Contemporary Art Alexander Museum Palace in Pesaro.

“The exposition presented paintings by famous Ossetian artists Magrez Kelekhsaev, Lavrenty Kasoev, Akhsar Esenov, Georgy Gabaraev, Oleg Basayev, Vadim Pukhaev, Vadim Kadzhaev and others,” the agency reports.

Ria Novosti reports that Medoev says South Ossetia intends to expand international contacts.

"We are going to expand the geography of contacts. This applies to European countries, Central Asia, Latin American countries, and of course, the CIS countries, with which we have experience of living together within the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union and where the Ossetian diaspora is represented," the so called minister stated.

He also claimed that Italy is one of those countries that has expressed interest in breakaway South Ossetia in recent years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Medoev added his "visit" was carried out at the invitation of the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Italian Province of Pesaro and Urbino.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry responded to the visit of the occupied region’s de facto minister to Italy, saying the visit had no legitimacy.

“It is a continuation of illegal actions by Russia, aimed at legitimizing the occupational regimes on the territories of Georgia,” the ministry stated.

“Italy strongly supports our country's territorial integrity and sovereignty and the policy of non-recognition of Georgia's occupied regions,” the ministry added.

Thea Morrison