On September 26, Alan Gagloev, the de-facto President of the separatist Republic of South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region, stated that the leadership and people of South Ossetia fully support the referendum on joining the Kremlin-occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to Russia. "Tskhinvali also strongly supports Russia's special military operation," he said.

"These are the only correct steps in the current international political situation aimed at stopping mass bloodshed, long-term discrimination, and human rights violations in the region, preventing the deployment of NATO military infrastructure near the immediate borders of the Russian Federation. Achieving peace in the region is the most difficult task, but I am sure it will be achieved," Gagloev said. He recalled that the Republic of South Ossetia also went through a long, difficult, and heroic path towards freedom and independence from an aggressive, nationalist Georgia. "Today, thanks to the assistance of the Russian Federation, the people of South Ossetia feel safe and are building a peaceful future," he emphasized. "The Republic is firmly and steadily following the path of integration with Russia. We consider joining the Russian Federation as the final result of integration. But this step cannot be taken by us unilaterally. By the accepted international obligations, we are pursuing a foreign policy agreed with the Russian side," Gagloev stressed. 

"During consultations in Moscow in June of this year, it was established that the issue of holding a referendum on the accession of the Republic of South Ossetia to the Russian Federation was not agreed with the Russian side and turned out to be untimely for it," Gagloev recalled. "In this regard, it is necessary to hold a broad public discussion of options for further integration with the Russian Federation, to come to a common opinion on the issue of a referendum, and then to hold further consultations with the Russian side," he added.

"There is no other way to solve this fateful issue for us. This is well known to all political forces in the republic. However, some of them are trying to speculate on the topic of holding a referendum. I consider it unacceptable to earn political points by exploiting the theme of reunification with Russia, for the sake of which the lives of our best men were given. Moreover, uncoordinated actions and statements on such a serious foreign policy issue entail misunderstanding by our strategic partner. We have a common security loop, and we must take measures to preserve it," Alan Gagloev emphasized.

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