Vladimir Putin has approved a bill proposed by the country’s Foreign Ministry “to resolve dual citizenship issues’ with Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region”.

The agreement, which was signed for five years and which will automatically prolong after the expiration of the term, offers simplified procedures for obtaining Russian citizenship and dual citizenship for the residents of Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali region.

According to the order, the Russian Foreign Ministry was instructed to sign this agreement on behalf of the Russian Federation. According to the first article of the agreement, “citizens of one party have the right to acquire the citizenship of the other party without renouncing their citizenship of that party”.