Oleg Teziev

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"The issue of joining South Ossetia to Russia is of secondary importance here. The reunification of the two Ossetians is important for the Ossetians. Today, there are only a few nations left in the world that are internally divided (for example, North and South Korea). Ossetia, divided into two territories due to certain historical circumstances, belongs to the same category. I would like with all my heart to wish for the unification to happen as quickly as possible"

After leaving office, Teziev served as chairman of Civic Initiative, a Vladikavkaz-based support group for South Ossetian refugees into North Ossetia. As chairman, Teziev commented on why Ossetians don't want to return to Georgia proper, stating that "Refugees don't trust the law or Georgian authorities," and that "Most of them have settled down in North Ossetia. Their children go to Russian schools and are being raised in another cultural environment." [5]

Teziev returned in an attempt to run for the 2001 South Ossetian presidential election. However, then-incumbent president Lyudvig Chibirov passed a law requiring all candidates to live in South Ossetia for 15 years, barring Teziev from running. [6] During the 2012 South Ossetian presidential election, Teziev accused both Leonid Tibilov and David Sanakoev of misusing public funds for their campaigns, instead of funding the construction of houses. This resulted in upwards of 18,000 Ossetians moving to Russia. [7]

Teziev was a leader of the so-called "Moscow Opposition", consisting of South Ossetians who moved to Russia after the South Ossetia war but returned after the Russo-Georgian War and were discontent with policies of Eduard Kokoity. Teziev helped organize a series of street protests against the Kokoiti administration in 2014. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Хестанов, Руслан; Просандеева, Наталья. "Олег Тезиев: "Я создал армию за 5 месяцев"". Expert . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  2. "Georgian tanks and infantry invade Tskhinvali". Caucasian Knot . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  3. Sotiriou, Stylianos A. (2019). Politics and International Relations in Eurasia. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1498565394 . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  4. Foltz, Richard. "The Ossetes" (PDF). abkhazworld.com. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  5. Valieva, Elizaveta. "Georgia: The value of property". ReliefWeb . OCHA . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  6. Fuller, Liz. "Caucasus Report: April 9, 2001". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  7. "South Ossetia is at risk of social disruptions". premier.gov.ru. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  8. Siukaeva, Zalina. "The Rubicon of the Kokoiti opposition". ge.boell.org. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
Oleg Teziev
Олег Тезиев
Oleg teziev int.jpg
Teziev in 2016
1st Prime Minister of South Ossetia
In office
28 November 1991 October 1993