Former President Medvedev met with the heads of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

On August 25, on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former President of Russia (2008-2012) Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting in Gorki with the heads of the republics Alan Gagloev and Aslan Bzhaniya. “It was not the easiest decision that Russia made in 2008, but which ensured peace in the Caucasus, ensured the protection of the life and health of the inhabitants of the republics and the solution of big problems,” Medvedev said (quoted by RIA Novosti).

Since then, according to him, relations with the republics have been developing successfully. Bzhaniya thanked the people of Russia and personally Medvedev for his contribution to the development of the Abkhazian statehood. “We have been moving towards independence, towards freedom for many decades. Our path was sprinkled with a lot of sweat, blood, and in the end, thanks to the Russian Federation, justice prevailed. And I would like to inform you that all our joint affairs will develop further, we will strengthen our allied relations,” he stressed.

Gagloev, in turn, recalled that a small republic (56,000 people; in Abkhazia – 245,000) is not at all against joining Russia. “I want to assure you, dear Dmitry Anatolyevich, that even today we are ready to develop integration processes with the Russian Federation up to joining the Russian Federation,” Gagloev summed up.

The fact that South Ossetia and Abkhazia can join Russia, Medvedev said on August 23 in an article for “Arguments and Facts” on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the five-day war. “We don’t need a repeat of history in 2008. We remain ready to tackle problems at the negotiating table in the spirit of the UN Charter. But if our concern has real outlines, we will not hesitate. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the idea of ​​joining Russia is still popular. And it may well be implemented if there are good reasons for that, ”he said.

If this happens, then South Ossetia and Abkhazia will become part of Russia, “for the West, this turn of events will be another shameful fiasco and another symbol of a catastrophic loss of influence,” Medvedev added. The deputy chairman of the Security Council stressed that, “just like 15 years ago, it is clear that neither the daily shelling of peaceful cities and bridges, nor other provocations, including political assassinations and terrorist attacks, have any effect.”

As Vedomosti wrote earlier, the idea of ​​annexation is really popular in South Ossetia due to historical ties with North Ossetia as part of Russia. The first referendum on joining Russia was held in 1992, and then this idea was supported by 99.89% of those who voted. In 2022, the then incumbent president announced a referendum on the eve of the elections, Moscow took it without enthusiasm, and Gagloev, who won the elections, curtailed the procedure.

Meanwhile, Abkhazia is increasingly drifting towards independence. Sergei Shamba, secretary of the republic’s security council, called the path of unification of North and South Ossetia “natural” and expressed hope that circumstances would arise for this. “As for Abkhazia, we have our own path, different from this. We haven’t had any such requests. [о вхождении в состав РФ]and I do not see any political forces in Abkhazia that would see such a form of relations between our countries,” Shamba told TASS.

The budget of South Ossetia is almost 80% dependent on Russian injections, Vedomosti wrote. Russia has invested about 110 billion rubles in Abkhazia since 2008, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Inal Ardzinba said. The accession of South Ossetia and Abkhazia at this stage is not advisable, said Nikolai Silaev, senior researcher at the Center for Caucasus Problems at MGIMO. “Moscow has already guaranteed security to these republics, and Russian military units are deployed on their territory,” the expert added.

At the same time, the Georgian Foreign Ministry called Medvedev’s statements about the possibility of joining Abkhazia and South Ossetia to Russia an attempt to encroach on the country’s territorial integrity. However, Medvedev’s statements hardly have any grounds, says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, political scientist. According to him, the meeting is symbolic on the occasion of the anniversary, nothing more. Silaev also doubts that the two politicians’ visit to Moscow will lead to serious consequences in Russian-Georgian relations.

Since 2008, there have been no diplomatic relations between the two states. At the same time, Tbilisi, according to the expert, is unlikely to join the regime of anti-Russian sanctions, since it is vital for them to maintain trade and economic ties with Russia.