Vladimir Putin Hosts South Ossetian Leader in Moscow
On the November 14, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, hosted South Ossetian leader Anatoly Bibilov in Moscow to discuss “the current state of bilateral cooperation,” including “the multifaceted efforts in implementing the Treaty of Alliance and Integration,” the Kremlin reported.
Prior to the meeting, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to South Ossetian sovereignty, saying that “Russia is doing a lot to ensure firm security, including the military security and border security of South Ossetia.”
Anatoly Biblov, meanwhile, thanked Putin for the invitation, calling it “very important for South Ossetia.”
The South Ossetian leader was also keen to point out the strength of their diplomatic relations with the Kremlin. “I think the state of our relations is at a fairly high level; in terms of the political component, the intergovernmental component, we already have concluded about a hundred agreements, a number of additional agreements are in the making, which will contribute to the advancement of integration processes and the [further] development of our economic relations.”
Following their meeting, at a joint press conference, Putin said Tskhinvali was “an important partner and ally of Russia,” and that Moscow remains committed to furthering the region’s “socio-economic development.” “Our talks today were mostly devoted to trade and investment issues, as well as cooperation in the social sector.”
The Russian leader also added that they had agreed “to more closely coordinate steps in confronting challenges and threats to security in the South Caucasus, and to continue robust cooperation in fighting against terrorism and organized crime.”
Moreover, after the meeting, in a similar vein to the agreement concluded in August in Sokhumi, during Putin’s visit to Abkhazia, Russian Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova and her Tskhinvali “counterpart” Giorgi Totchiev, signed an agreement that brings Russia’s compulsory medical insurance program to the Russian citizens of South Ossetia.
Photo source: Kremlin.ru
By Máté Földi