As it became known, May 18 saw signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation, according to which the Russian Federation has completed the procedure necessary for launching the implementation of the Agreement on the basic principles for a mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of trade in goods signed with Georgia on November 9, 2011.
The Russian Federation and Georgia are the Parties to the November 9, 2011 Agreement, which stipulates opening of additional transport corridors between the Russian Federation and Georgia. The Republic of South Ossetia is not a party to this Agreement and bears no obligations. Alongside with this one of these transit corridors is expected to run through the customs territory of the Republic of South Ossetia. Based on this, practical functioning of the transit transport corridor through the customs territory of a sovereign state without considering the positions and interests of the Republic of South Ossetia is illusive.
In one of his interviews Anatolii BIbilov, the President of the Republic of South Ossetia, has unambiguously told that “South Ossetia is a state with its own position and interests. We are not going to play any secondary role in implementation of this project and are ready to participate in it only as equal partners”.
It should be noted that the possibility of practical implementation of provisions of this Agreement, which without any doubt affects the interests of South Ossetia in spheres of economy, security and environment, fully depends on the results of direct negotiations of its parties – Moscow and Tbilisi – with the official authorities of the Republic of South Ossetia and on the formation of a corresponding legal framework for further equal cooperation in this project.
May 21, 2018, Tskhinval