If we take seriously the issue of the possible entry of South Ossetia into Russia, then a legal revision of this topic is necessary. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday, May 24.
“If we take this seriously, then legally we still need to finalize this issue. Because, if we understand correctly, the question for the referendum is legally formulated as the unification of the Republic of South Ossetia and Russia, that is, legally this is such a kind of incident, ”Peskov said.
He said that if the question is posed as a “unification”, then we are talking about the creation of a third state. In addition, Peskov drew attention to the fact that the Russian Federation does not take and has not taken any steps that are in any way connected with the referendum currently being discussed in South Ossetia.
“Of course, we need to legally think about the wording. I have already spoken on this topic and I repeat once again: in this case, no steps have been taken and are not planned from the Russian side in this regard, ”the official representative of the Kremlin emphasized.
On May 11, Alan Gagloev, who recently took over as president of South Ossetia, named the conditions for a referendum on the republic’s entry into the Russian Federation. In his opinion, a referendum should be held when Moscow makes it clear that the time has come for this.
On May 13, the ex-president of the republic, Anatoly Bibilov, announced that the referendum was scheduled for July 17.
On May 17, it became known that residents of South Ossetia and Russia will be able to obtain dual citizenship. Any able-bodied citizen of the republic over 18 years of age will be able to apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner.