Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with President of the Republic of South Ossetia Alan Gagloev and Minister of Foreign Affairs Akhsar Dzhioev, Sochi, October 3, 2023

Mr Gagloev, Friends!

We are happy to have another meeting with you.

I would like to congratulate you on two significant events: the 15th anniversary of international recognition, and the 33rd Day of the Republic, which you celebrated in late September.

We know that festive events were held at a high level, which included Russian guests. We value our joint history and – without exaggeration – the brotherhood of our nations, which we will strengthen. We will continue to support the Republic of South Ossetia in the areas of security, defence, and socioeconomic development.

Our relations are developing dynamically. This meets the interests of the citizens of Russia and South Ossetia. A constant political dialogue is ongoing at the level of the President of the Russian Federation, with whom you are in contact, as well as the heads of the parliaments, the Security Council, the Presidential Executive Office, the Central Office of the Government of Russia, and other agencies, including the Foreign Ministry.

We work hard to consolidate our contractual and legal framework. We note the positive trends in bilateral trade, which reached almost $140 million in 2022 (for now, we are making calculations in US dollars, but this will change soon).

We see that our citizens have much interest in expanding cultural and humanitarian ties. Importantly, an investment programme for the next three years is being implemented. The State Programme for Socioeconomic Development of South Ossetia until 2025 continues.

We appreciate your support for our soldiers participating in the special military operation, including your personal involvement in sending humanitarian aid to that region. We proceed from the premise that all goals set by President of Russia Vladimir Putin will be implemented.

Today, we will sign a schedule for consultations between the foreign ministries. We maintain close coordination on regional politics, the international agenda, and South Ossetia’s external contacts that we support in every way, and we will promote this in the future.