The partially recognized republic's president and parliament speaker noted in a joint statement Thursday that a referendum on joining the Russian Federation will be held in South Ossetia in 2017, Sputnik News reports.
"Guided by the long-term interests of the South Ossetian people and seeking to ensure the stability of the socio-political situation in the Republic of South Ossetia, we are issuing a joint statement in support of…the advisability of holding a referendum on the issue of the Republic of South Ossetia joining the Russian Federation in 2017," the statement reads.