Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova indicated that the issue of holding a referendum in South Ossetia on joining Russia requires careful analysis and discussion between the parties, explaining that “Russia is ready to hold consultations with South Ossetia to discuss more about integration between the two countries.

In her statement, she indicated that Moscow considered it logical for South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev to suspend his predecessor Anatoly Bibilov’s decree on a referendum on joining Russia. And she stressed that “taking into account the fact that the initiative of the former President Anatoly Bibilov was not agreed with us, we assess the decision of the new head of state to suspend the aforementioned decree of May 13, 2022, the referendum in the Republic of South Ossetia, as the right decision, corresponding to the spirit of alliance between our two countries and the principle of close bilateral coordination on important issues for Russia and South Ossetia.”