Russian President signs federal law ratifying dual citizenship with occupied Tskhinvali region

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a federal law ratifying an agreement on dual citizenship for residents of Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).

The Georgian Public Broadcaster reported the deal involved allowing Russian nationals to obtain passports valid in the occupied region, with residents of  Tskhinvali able to obtain Russian citizenship without renouncing their passports.

The agreement would enter into force on the day of exchange of ratification instruments by Russian officials and de facto authorities of Tskhinvali, and be valid for five years.

It would also be automatically renewed for a five-year period if neither party notified the other in writing, through diplomatic channels, of its intention to terminate it, six months before the end of the next five-year period.