The Tskhinvali region and Nicaragua have reached an agreement to eliminate visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders. This development was confirmed during discussions in Moscow, attended by both parties’ officials. Previously, Nicaragua recognized the independence of Tskhinvali and Abkhazia following the 2008 conflict, leading to a severed relationship with Georgia, which opposes such recognitions.
The Russian-supported Tskhinvali region, also known as South Ossetia, has entered into an agreement with Nicaragua regarding the exemption of visa requirements for diplomatic, official, service, and foreign passport holders. This agreement was established during discussions in Moscow on February 27, as reported by the Tskhinvali region’s self-proclaimed “foreign ministry.”
The agreement was signed by Akhsar Dzhioev, Tskhinvali’s so-called “foreign minister,” and Alba Azucena Torres Mejía, Nicaragua’s supposed ambassador to the region. The signing was witnessed by Narim Kozaev, who is claimed to be Tskhinvali’s “ambassador” to Nicaragua, and Claudio Antonio Arana, a Minister-Counsellor of Nicaragua’s Embassy in Russia.
Discussions during the meeting reportedly covered the enhancement of bilateral relations as well as various subjects on the current international agenda. Nicaragua was notably one of the early nations to acknowledge the purported independence of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia in September 2008,
shortly after the Russian-Georgian conflict.
Following this recognition, Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with Managua in November 2008, citing Nicaragua’s stance towards these Russian-occupied regions. Currently, only a few nations, namely Nauru, Venezuela, and Syria, alongside Russia and Nicaragua, recognize Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent entities.
The Georgian government and a majority of the international community maintain that both regions are occupied by Russia and regard any diplomatic interactions with their de facto authorities as encroachments upon Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The recent agreement between Tskhinvali region and Nicaragua to waive visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders highlights a continued alignment between these entities, amidst ongoing international disputes. Nicaragua’s historical recognition of these regions post-Russian-Georgian conflict persists despite significant disapproval from Georgia and other nations, which view such acknowledgments as violations of sovereignty.
Original Source: civil.ge
