The South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov intends to rename the republic. He made this statement at a news conference in Tskhinvali. According to Lenta.ru, the President is going to rename the country South Ossetia - Alania, by analogy with the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, which is part of the Russian Federation.
"I have instructed the relevant services and will make a proposal to parliamentarians to consider the matter. The whole world should know that there is a problem of the divided nation," Tibilov said.
He added that South Ossetia is preparing a referendum on joining Russia. "The exact date is not yet determined, but the referendum will take place before the presidential elections to be held in April 2017," he added.