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Leader seeks South Ossetia entry into Russia
10.06.2004, 17.08
MOSCOW, June 10 (Itar-Tass) - The leader of Georgia’s breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoita, said on Thursday that he would request the Russian leadership to admit his republic to Russia.
“The aim of my visit to Moscow is to appeal to the Federal Assembly and the Russian president that South Ossetia be recognized as Russian republic,” he told reporters in Moscow.
“We have political, legal and historical grounds for entry into Russia,” he stressed.
According to him, “that step is prompted by the fact that the Georgian leadership fails to meet its commitments to Tskhinvali.”
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=928704&PageNum=0
North and South Ossetia were annexed by Russia between 1801 and 1806, along with Georgia proper, and absorbed into the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution, South Ossetia became a part of the Georgian Menshevik Republic, while the north became a part of the Terek Soviet Republic. In April 1922, following fierce fighting between White Russian and Soviet forces the "South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast" (i.e. district) was formed. Although South Ossetia had its own language (Ossetian), Russian was – and still is – the only administrative language. Formally under the rule of Georgia's government, it enjoyed some degree of autonomy.
The Georgian war
In 1989, concerned by rising nationalism in Georgia, the ruling South Ossetian Popular Front (Ademon Nykhas) demanded unification with North Ossetia. On 10 November 1989, the South Ossetian Supreme Soviet approved a decision to unite South Ossetia with the North Ossetian ASSR, part of Russia. A day later, the Georgian parliament revoked the decision and abolished South Ossetian autonomy. Additionally, the parliament authorized the suppression of newspapers and demonstrations.
Following Georgia's independence in 1991 under the nationalist leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the Georgian government declared Georgian to be the national language throughout the country. This caused great concern in South Ossetia, whose leaders demanded that Ossetian become the language of their state. The Ossetian minority continued to seek greater levels of autonomy, but were faced with increasing nationalist sentiment among the Georgian majority. Violent conflict broke out towards the end of 1991 during which many South Ossetian villages were attacked and burned down. As a result, more than 100,000 refugees fled the region, most across the border into North Ossetia or into Georgia proper. Many South Ossetians were resettled in uninhabited areas of North Ossetia from which the Ingush had been expelled by Stalin in 1944, leading to conflicts between Ossetians and Ingush over the right of residence in former Ingush territory. Only 15% of the Ossetian population now lives in South Ossetia.
In 1992, a ceasefire was negotiated at the initiative of Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The governments of Georgia and South Ossetia reached an agreement to avoid the use of force against one another, and Georgia pledged not to impose sanctions against South Ossetia. A peacekeeping force of Ossetians, Russians and Georgians was established. Since then, South Ossetia has been generally peaceful.
The political dispute has, however, yet to be resolved and the South Ossetian authorities still govern the region with effective independence from Tblisi. Although talks have been held periodically between the two sides, little progress was made under the government of Eduard Shevardnadze (1993-2003). His replacement Mikhail Saakashvili (elected 2004) has made reassertion of Georgian government authority a political priority. Having successfully put an end to the de facto independent government of the southwestern province of Ajaria in May 2004, he has pledged to seek a similar solution in South Ossetia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetia
10.06.2004, 17.08
MOSCOW, June 10 (Itar-Tass) - The leader of Georgia’s breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoita, said on Thursday that he would request the Russian leadership to admit his republic to Russia.
“The aim of my visit to Moscow is to appeal to the Federal Assembly and the Russian president that South Ossetia be recognized as Russian republic,” he told reporters in Moscow.
“We have political, legal and historical grounds for entry into Russia,” he stressed.
According to him, “that step is prompted by the fact that the Georgian leadership fails to meet its commitments to Tskhinvali.”
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=928704&PageNum=0
North and South Ossetia were annexed by Russia between 1801 and 1806, along with Georgia proper, and absorbed into the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution, South Ossetia became a part of the Georgian Menshevik Republic, while the north became a part of the Terek Soviet Republic. In April 1922, following fierce fighting between White Russian and Soviet forces the "South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast" (i.e. district) was formed. Although South Ossetia had its own language (Ossetian), Russian was – and still is – the only administrative language. Formally under the rule of Georgia's government, it enjoyed some degree of autonomy.
The Georgian war
In 1989, concerned by rising nationalism in Georgia, the ruling South Ossetian Popular Front (Ademon Nykhas) demanded unification with North Ossetia. On 10 November 1989, the South Ossetian Supreme Soviet approved a decision to unite South Ossetia with the North Ossetian ASSR, part of Russia. A day later, the Georgian parliament revoked the decision and abolished South Ossetian autonomy. Additionally, the parliament authorized the suppression of newspapers and demonstrations.
Following Georgia's independence in 1991 under the nationalist leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the Georgian government declared Georgian to be the national language throughout the country. This caused great concern in South Ossetia, whose leaders demanded that Ossetian become the language of their state. The Ossetian minority continued to seek greater levels of autonomy, but were faced with increasing nationalist sentiment among the Georgian majority. Violent conflict broke out towards the end of 1991 during which many South Ossetian villages were attacked and burned down. As a result, more than 100,000 refugees fled the region, most across the border into North Ossetia or into Georgia proper. Many South Ossetians were resettled in uninhabited areas of North Ossetia from which the Ingush had been expelled by Stalin in 1944, leading to conflicts between Ossetians and Ingush over the right of residence in former Ingush territory. Only 15% of the Ossetian population now lives in South Ossetia.
In 1992, a ceasefire was negotiated at the initiative of Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The governments of Georgia and South Ossetia reached an agreement to avoid the use of force against one another, and Georgia pledged not to impose sanctions against South Ossetia. A peacekeeping force of Ossetians, Russians and Georgians was established. Since then, South Ossetia has been generally peaceful.
The political dispute has, however, yet to be resolved and the South Ossetian authorities still govern the region with effective independence from Tblisi. Although talks have been held periodically between the two sides, little progress was made under the government of Eduard Shevardnadze (1993-2003). His replacement Mikhail Saakashvili (elected 2004) has made reassertion of Georgian government authority a political priority. Having successfully put an end to the de facto independent government of the southwestern province of Ajaria in May 2004, he has pledged to seek a similar solution in South Ossetia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetia
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