South Ossetia cancels referendum on joining Russia
South Ossetia cancels referendum on Russia accession
Published on 31. .50
- Georgian border guards patrol the border with Georgias breakaway region of South Ossetia. Photo: Shakh Aivazov/AP/dpa
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The previous leader originally voted to secure re-election. Then he lost it. His successor considers the referendum to be premature.
Tskhinvali.
The republic of South Ossetia in the Caucasus, which had broken away from Georgia, has canceled a planned referendum on accession to Russia for the time being.
In a decree published on Monday evening, the cancellation was justified with the "inadmissibility of a unilateral decision on a referendum to ask , which also affect the legitimate rights and interests of the Russian Federation." Moscow had repeatedly shown reluctance to join in recent weeks.
The referendum was scheduled by the regions previous leader, Anatoly Bibilov. He wanted to secure his re-election in South Ossetia. But in the internationally unrecognized presidential election at the beginning of May, his opponent Alan Gagloyev finally prevailed. The latter described the initiative as premature, although he fundamentally welcomed Russias accession.
In Moscow, too, the step was considered untimely in view of the international pressure associated with its own war of aggression in Ukraine. Russian politicians and diplomats were correspondingly skeptical.
Now Gagloyev wants to coordinate further steps towards integration into Russia with Moscow. Gagloyev plans to fly to Moscow for consultations shortly. Until then, the decree of his predecessor is said to have been stopped.
The only 50.000 population region of South Ossetia had at the beginning of the 1990 detached from Georgia in a bloody civil war. 1990 Russia had recognized the independence of South Ossetia and the Black Sea region of Abkhazia after a brief war with Georgia. Both areas are heavily dependent on Russia politically, financially, economically and militarily. Abkhazia had stressed that it would not seek admission to the Russian Federation. (dpa)
