8 august 2012

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrives in South Ossetia, where events are being held to mark the anniversary of the 2008 armed conflict

Several hundred people gathered at the Presidential Palace in Tskhinval to greet the arrival of the Prime Minister. When his cortege arrived and Dmitry Medvedev stepped out of the car, the residents of Tskhinval greeted him with a round of applause.

South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov met the Prime Minister outside the entrance to the building. Having welcomed Dmitry Medvedev, he ushered him inside the building. But first, in accordance with South Ossetian custom, girls wearing national costume went up to Medvedev and offered the distinguished guest the equivalent to the Russian welcoming tradition of bread and salt – Ossetian pies. The Prime Minister also greeted the militia heroes who four years ago held back the onslaught of the advancing Georgian forces.