A long-announced transit through South Ossetia to Georgia can work under the condition that the South Ossetian side will participate in this international economic project on equal terms with other participants, as an equal partner, Foreign Minister Dmitry Medoev told RIA Novosti.
“The position of Tskhinval is extremely simple, and it has been repeatedly voiced by President Anatoly Bibilov. It consists in the fact that South Ossetia should participate in this international economic project on equal terms with other participants in this project, as an equal partner. But, in general, this is a very a complex project, and we are aware of the situation that is developing with other potential participants, in particular Armenia, "Medoev said.
State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin expects that the Russian-Georgian agreement on customs administration will open another transit corridor for Armenia.
The agreement "On the basic principles of the mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of trade between the government of Georgia and the government of the Russian Federation" was signed on November 9, 2011. Russia and Georgia also signed contracts with the Swiss intermediary company SGS, which will monitor the movement of goods through Abkhazia and South Ossetia. As noted by Grigory Karasin, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, the Russian party hopes that the Russian-Georgian agreement on customs administration will allow opening another transit corridor for Armenia. The transit connection between Armenia and Russia is now carried out through the territory of Georgia only through the Verkhny Lars checkpoint and through the ferry across the Black Sea.
According to Medoev, Tskhinval is aware that at present the “Cross Pass - the only road through the Central Caucasus that is used today for international traffic, does not fully comply with modern requirements, and is closed annually in winter for three - four months " However, "all the interested parties should clearly realize that the implementation of this project is impossible without the full participation of South Ossetia as an equal party," the Minister emphasized.
