Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

The leadership of Georgia’s de facto independent breakaway Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) has submitted to Russia a draft treaty on alliance and integration.

Leonid Tibilov, President of de facto Tskhinvali region said the joint working group of South Ossetia and Russia has completed all procedures on the draft agreement and the document has been sent to Moscow.

Tskhinvali, a northeast Georgian region, is currently under Russian control since the bloody war between the two neighboring countries in 2008. Russia recognized the self-proclaimed region as an independent state just after the war.

The deal between Russia and Tskhinvali came not long after Moscow signed an Alliance and Strategic Partnership deal with Georgia’s another breakaway region Abkhazia in late November, 2014. At the time, Tskhinvali’s de facto leader expressed his interest in signing a similar agreement with Russia.

The international community called the draft agreement between Tskhinvali and Russia, a violation of international law, as they did the same for the similar deal with Abkhazia.

Meanwhile, the draft agreement with South Ossetia outlines much deeper integration of the breakaway region with Russia than that of the signed with Abkhazia. It particularly notes that defense, security, law enforcement and customs agencies of the breakaway region should become part of relevant ministries and agencies of the Russian Federation. It also calls to remove the border crossing point at Roki tunnel, which links the breakaway region with Russia.

Once the document is signed, people living in the both occupied regions are expected to receive Russian passports.

Tbilisi severely opposed this move by Russia, calling it the annexation of the Georgian regions.

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