Kokoev Calls for “United Ossetia”, Rules Out Integration into Georgia

President of breakaway South Ossetia Eduard Kokoev said, while visiting Moscow on September 15, that South Ossetia should join Russia?s North Ossetia.

?It is high time to stop dividing Ossetia into North and South. There is one big, unified Ossetia and Alexander Dzasokhov [the President of Russia?s North Ossetian Republic] should be elected as President of the Ossetia. I do not aspire for leadership. Simply, I want to live in the united Ossetia,? Eduard Kokoev said in an interview to the Moscow-based radio station Echo Moskvy on September 15.
 
He also said, ?reintegration into Georgia is out of question.?
 
South Ossetian de facto President has several times applied to merge South Ossetia into the Russian Federation. Russia’s Supreme Court ruled, after request of the Russian parliament, that such merger is illegal without Georgia’s consent.