"Russia honors the sovereignty of South Ossetia," - Sergey Lavrov, Russia`s Foreign Minister, said on Monday, at the Youth and Students International Festival in Sochi.

When asked by one of the participants about the possibility of integration of North and South Ossetia within the Russian state, the Russian Foreign Minister responded that Russia recognized the Republic of South Ossetia as an independent state.

"Now the Republic of South Ossetia is recognized as an independent state, Russian peacekeepers and the Russian army helped it not to allow Georgia`s then President Saakashvili to solve by using force the so-called" territorial problem ".We respect South Ossetia"s sovereignty and we will help in every way to protect it, "-Sergey Lavrov said.