Alexander Novak at the 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Socio-Economic Cooperation between Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia
The 21st restricted meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Socio-Economic Cooperation between Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia
The 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Socio-Economic Cooperation between Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia
Alexander Novak at the 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Socio-Economic Cooperation between Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak co-chaired the 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Socio-Economic Cooperation between Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia.
The meeting took place in person for the first time since April 2019 when it was held in Tskhinval.
President of South Ossetia Alan Gagloyev led the South Ossetian delegation. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister of South Ossetia Konstantin Dzhussoyev and government body representatives from both Russia and South Ossetia, including the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the Finance Ministry, the Energy Ministry and the Federal Customs Service.
The discussion included energy issues, the funding of pensions for Russian citizens living in South Ossetia, debt restructuring and improving payment discipline on energy supplies from Russia, and the parameters and terms for implementing the state programme on the Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of South Ossetia in 2022-2025. The talks were also focused on the integration process in customs and taxes.
“South Ossetia is our strategic ally. Russia has long-term interests in ensuring its security and socio-economic stability, in part, in the context of the new geopolitical realities. Russia-South Ossetia bilateral relations have stood the test of the time and are built on allied ties and integration. We continue to develop the political dialogue on executive and legislative power, foreign policy and defence interaction, trade, economic and interregional ties as well as cultural and humanitarian exchanges,” noted Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
“Nobody has eliminated the goal of switching from recovery to economic development; we need to ensure this under any circumstances. There is no reason to say that the republic will achieve its goals without Russia’s support. We rely on assistance from our Russian friends. For our part, we continue changing ineffective approaches to socio-economic problems. I think, given close cooperation and understanding, we will be able to achieve results not only in our republic but also in all of the Caucasus,” emphasised President of South Ossetia Alan Gagloyev at the meeting.
In 2022, Russia’s trade with South Ossetia totaled 9.7 billion roubles, which is a 4.2 percent increase over 2021. Work is underway to enhance South Ossetia’s investment appeal. Experts are discussing 13 investment projects in agriculture, the investment industry, logistics and tourism with a total value of over 4.5 billion roubles. Their implementation will create over 760 jobs and the republic’s budget will increase by over 600 million roubles. Alexander Novak urged his colleagues to increase the investment appeal of South Ossetia through smooth cooperation on joint projects that allow the republic to develop its industrial and agricultural sectors and services.
Mr Novak instructed the Energy Ministry and his colleagues from South Ossetia to study the programme for improving the discipline of payment for energy imports from Russia, including providing the state with metering devices, identification and elimination of the causes of losses in the power grid, restructuring of the debt, upgrading of the networks, and improvement of tariff policy.
Following the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, the parties signed a protocol determining the amount of Russian economic aid to South Ossetia and mechanisms for monitoring the spending of these funds. The protocol also sets the goal of integrating customs and tax procedures and implementing the investment programme to promote the republic’s socio-economic progress in the next few years. The participants agreed to hold the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission in South Ossetia.
