The leaders discussed the current state of bilateral cooperation and prospects for its development, primarily in the socioeconomic sphere.
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President Vladimir Putin: Mr Bibilov, I believe there is no need to speak about the special character of relations between Russia and South Ossetia.
We are strategic partners in the full sense of the word. We do everything we can to support the socioeconomic development and security of South Ossetia. There is no doubt that we will continue this work in the same spirit.
I know that you will have a parliamentary election in June, and I am sure that you will do everything you can to make sure the election is held in accordance with the law and on a democratic basis. We, on our part, will send observers to the parliamentary election in South Ossetia, as we have agreed.
It is gratifying to note that Russia remains your leading trade and economic partner. We have an investment programme and a number of other programmes aimed at supporting South Ossetia.
I am glad to have the opportunity to discuss all this with you today.
President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov: Thank you very much, Mr President.
First of all, I would certainly like to thank you for the opportunity to visit Moscow and meet with you.
It is very important for South Ossetia that our leaders meet at the highest level, which is traditional already. This gives us confidence that the development of South Ossetia and the strategic partnership between South Ossetia and Russia remain at a high level.
As for the general state of things, I can note with satisfaction that the agreement, which we signed in 2015, and additional agreements to that major one are being carried out very effectively.
There is the programme that you have just mentioned. Undoubtedly, it has a significant impact on the development of South Ossetia’s economy and infrastructure, and it has major social significance. We offer our sincere gratitude for all this to you and to our colleagues from the Russian Federation who are directly in charge of this.
Once again, I would like to take the opportunity to express gratitude on behalf of the people of South Ossetia and myself.
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