Commentary of the Foreign Minister of South Ossetia due to the Decree of the President of South Ossetia on the establishment of the Consular Agency
By the Decree of the RSO President Leonid Tibilov a Consular Agency of the Republic of South Ossetia has been established in the territory of the Russian Federation in the city of Vladikavkaz to improve the provision of consular services to the citizens of South Ossetia.
The issue of opening the South Ossetian consular office in the Russian Federation, namely, in the city of Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia-Alania) was on the agenda since the establishment of bilateral relations between South Ossetia and Russia.
Obviously, the choice of the location of the consular agency was not accidental. Considering that outside the Republic of North Ossetia resides or is temporarily residing a significant number of citizens of South Ossetia, of course, the request of the Government of South Ossetia to the Russian leadership to open a consular agency in the city of Vladikavkaz, was, first of all, determined due to the need for effective consular services to our citizens.
After a detailed discussion and study by the foreign ministries of Russia and South Ossetia, following the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of April 24,1963, has been obtained the consent of the Russian side and September 4, 2012 was issued an Order of the Government of the Russian Federation on opening of the Consular Agency of the Republic of South Ossetia in Vladikavkaz with the consular district, which includes the territory of the Republic of Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia - Alania, Chechnya and Stavropol Territory.
Consular Agency is subordinate organization to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia. The main functions of the Consular Agency are - protection of the rights and interests of the Republic of South Ossetia, the citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia and South Ossetian legal entities outside South Ossetia.
Until now, some of these functions were performed by a special representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia in Vladikavkaz.
By order of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia has to arrange the organizational details associated with the full functioning of the Consular Agency, that the citizens of South Ossetia outside the Republic, could apply to the agency for solution of the problems associated with the legalization of documents, notary issues, with the issuance of temporary identity documents of the citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia, and giving the right to enter (return) to the Republic, etc.
Tskhinval, December 25, 2012
