"Utopia and demagogy": South Ossetian authorities discuss joining the Union State of Russia and Belarus
South Ossetia and Russian-Belarussian Union State
South Ossetian president Alan Gagloev stated that the authorities are considering joining the Union State as one of the most promising options.
The Union State is a supranational entity created in the late 1990s by Russia and Belarus, aiming to form a unified political, economic, and military space over time.
“South Ossetia is actively working on enhancing cooperation with Belarus, which will strengthen ties with the Union State. Currently, the focus is on humanitarian contacts, sports, and so on. In the future, we hope to establish closer cooperation with the Republic of Belarus,” said Alan Gagloev in mid-August.
However, political circles in South Ossetia view this as unlikely. Statements about joining the Union State have been made before, but without Belarus recognizing South Ossetia’s independence, it remains unfeasible.
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This “discrepancy” is noted, for example, by South Ossetian majoritarian deputy Azamat Dzhanayev:
“Before joining the Union State, Belarus must first recognize our independence. Since that hasn’t happened, the Union State is not a realistic option for us. These are basic things that every politician should know.”
Dzhanayev is convinced that joining Russia would bring far more benefits to South Ossetia:
“We should focus not on joining the Union State, but on fulfilling the dream of our fathers and grandfathers—becoming part of Russia. Then, we would automatically become part of both the Union State and a nuclear power.”
One South Ossetian official, speaking anonymously to JAMnews, shared the opinion that “talking about South Ossetia joining the Union State at this stage is pure utopia.”
“Gagloev’s rhetoric is demagoguery, intended to distract the public from domestic political problems and to somehow mask his ineffectiveness,” the official believes.
He added that “Gagloev’s foreign policy efforts to gain recognition for South Ossetia by other countries have failed during his time in power.”
The opposition party “United Ossetia” believes that such statements by the president and his entourage are attempts to shift focus away from the topic of joining Russia.
The party’s press service reminded that immediately after coming to power in 2022, Gagloev “suspended” a decree by his predecessor Anatoly Bibilov on holding a referendum for South Ossetia’s accession to Russia.
Indeed, despite Gagloev and some of his close associates frequently discussing the idea of joining the Union State, no concrete steps have been taken in that direction so far.
For example, exactly a year ago, in August 2023, Gagloev’s state advisor and the chairman of the pro-government party “Fatherland,” Vyacheslav Gobozov, stated that South Ossetia wants to join the Union State, making recognition by Minsk important for them.
According to Gobozov, “Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko will eventually realize the benefits for Minsk in recognizing South Ossetia’s sovereignty.”
Back in July 2023, Lukashenko himself mentioned that he might consider the possibility of recognition if the South Ossetian parliament formally requested it. However, the South Ossetian parliament has not yet made such a request and does not appear to have any intention of doing so.
South Ossetia and Russian-Belarussian Union State
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