As it became known, on September 19, a field meeting of the Russian-Georgian Business Council established at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation in February 2023, was held in Vladikavkaz. Following the results of the event some Internet resources reported that during the meeting a proposal was allegedly made to “open a transit through South Ossetia.” It should be noted that on the official website of the Russian-Georgian Business Council this issue is not indicated among the topics discussed at the meeting.
The issue of the possibility of opening additional transport corridors in the Transcaucasia, including through the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia, has its own history. Let us recall that in November 2011, a bilateral Russian-Georgian agreement was signed on the basic principles for the mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of trade in goods, providing for this possibility.
However, practical steps of all interested parties towards the implementation of such transit projects, affecting the sovereign territory of the Republic of South Ossetia, still depend on an assessment of their feasibility in South Ossetia itself, and, of course, on the results of direct negotiations between the interested parties with the official authorities of the Republic with subsequent formation of relevant regulatory and contractual framework, where the Republic of South Ossetia is represented as an equal participant in the implementation of such a project.
Tskhinval, September 23, 2023