South Ossetia seeks referendum on joining Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia has said it plans to hold a Crimea-style referendum on joining Russia, a move that risks inflaming the Kremlin's already strained ties with the West, Reuters reports.

Leonid Tibilov, the president of the self-declared republic of South Ossetia, laid out the plans during a meeting with Vladislav Surkov, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest advisers, on Monday, October 19.

"Today's political reality is such that we must make our historic choice and be reunited with brotherly Russia so that we can ensure the security and success of our republic and people for many centuries," Tibilov said, according to a statement released by his office.

"The referendum, the positive outcome of which I have no doubt, will allow us to unite our people," he said according to Reuters. Tibilov did not name a date for the referendum and said a decision about how to proceed after the vote would need to be agreed with the Kremlin.

Georgia and Russia fought a short war over South Ossetia and another separatist region, Abkhazia, in 2008. After it ended, Moscow recognized both regions as independent countries, though most other nations have not.