South Ossetia, a separatist region of Georgia, discussed with Moscow the possibility of joining the Russian Federation, the official Russian news agency RIA reported on Sunday with reference to the speaker of the South Ossetian parliament Alan Alborov, Reuters reports.

“We are discussing all these issues in close coordination with Russia, taking into account our bilateral relations and treaties,” Alan Alborov, quoted by RIA, said Agerpres.

With these words, Alborov answered the question about the possibility of organizing a referendum on this issue.

Moscow recognized the “independence” of the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after the 2008 war with Georgia. Subsequently, the Russian Federation provided significant financial support and Russian citizenship to the population of these two separatist regions and stationed thousands of troops there.

At the end of February, the congress convened in Tiraspol voted for a resolution in which it supports the thesis of the region’s sovereignty and appeals to Moscow for help in this matter, accusing the Republic of Moldova of “genocide”, according to publications in the region’s official Telegram channels .

The government of the Republic of Moldova rejected the “propaganda statements” of Tiraspol, saying that Chisinau’s policies benefit the region.

Russia said its “priority” is the “protection” of the population of Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist region of the Republic of Moldova, which on Wednesday appealed to Moscow for “help” in the face of “increasing pressure” from Chisinau, AFP reported.

“Protecting the interests of the population of Transnistria, our compatriots, is one of our priorities. All appeals are always carefully considered by the competent Russian authorities,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. (Photo source: Dreamstime)