MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. The Russian prime minister signed a decree on presenting a proposal to sign a treaty on alliance and integration between Russia and South Ossetia for the Russian president’s consideration.
The text of the decree was published on the government website on Wednesday.
"Signing of the treaty will help consolidate the legal foundation of Russian-South Ossetian cooperation," the document said.
"The treaty is a basic document for stage-by-stage promotion of social, economic, humanitarian, foreign policy, defence and security cooperation between Russia and South Ossetia with the preservation of the latter’s state sovereignty," it said, adding that as a follow-up to the treaty, "the sides will sign separate agreements on the afore-mentioned areas of cooperation, including the formation of the joint defence and security space and suppression of organised crime."
The treaty is expected to be signed for a term of 25 years with a possibility of its subsequent extension for ten-year periods. The treaty is subject to ratification because it establishes rules that differ from those envisaged by the Russian legislation.