Dmitry Ivanovich Sanakoyev (born 10 May 1969 in

Tskhinvali Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალი ) or Tskhinval (, ; , ) is the capital of the disputed ''de facto'' independent Republic of South Ossetia, internationally considered part of Shida Kartli, Georgia (except by Russia and four other UN m ...

South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast (; ka, სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური ოლქი, tr; ) was an autonomous oblast of the Soviet Union created within the Georgian SSR on April 20, 1922. It was an ...

Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Georgia, the Georgian SSR, or simply Georgia, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union from its second occupation (by the Red Army) in 1921 to its independence in 1991. Cotermin ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) is a

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

n and Georgian politician, a former official in the secessionist government of

and later, from 2007 to 2022, served as the Head of the

Provisional Administration of South Ossetia The Administration of South Ossetia (; ), officially the Administration of the Temporary Administrative-Territorial Unit on the Territory of the Former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia, is an administrative division that Georgia (country), G ...

, a rival entity established in the Georgian-controlled territories in the South Ossetia region by the Georgian government.

Defection to Georgia

At a press conference on November 13, 2006, Kokoity termed Sanakoyev and Karkusov, head of the alternative election commission and a former adviser to Kokoity, "traitors to their homeland and traitors to the South Ossetian people." The South Ossetian media launched a campaign to discredit and compromise Sanakoyev, accusing him of corruption, duplicity, and collaborating with Georgian intelligence. In December 2006, Sanakoyev formed a government, choosing not to appoint a defense minister. On May 10, 2007, Sanakoyev was appointed by the

President of Georgia The president of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პრეზიდენტი, tr) is the ceremonial head of state of Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U ...

as the Head of South Ossetian Provisional Administrative Entity. The next day Sanakoyev addressed the

Parliament of Georgia The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members elected through fully pr ...

Ossetic Ossetian ( , , ), commonly referred to as Ossetic and rarely as Ossete, is an Eastern Iranian language that is spoken predominantly in Ossetia, a region situated on both sides of the Russian-Georgian border in the Greater Caucasus region. ...

, outlining his vision for a resolution of the conflict in South Ossetia
full text
. The move earned praise from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

, but alarmed the de facto authorities in Tskhinvali, which ordered the blocking of traffic to ethnic Georgian villages and threatened to oust Sanakoyev’s government by force, moves that received the disapproval of the Russian government. On June 26, 2007, Sanakoyev delivered a speech, in his native Ossetian, at the EU-Georgian Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, his first appeal to the international community. He emphasized that "a direct dialogue between the Georgian and Ossetian peoples, and demilitarization of the region, are of crucial importance... The European type of autonomy, like in

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

, can serve as a model... in unified Georgia... where liberal democracy is being built". On July 3, 2008, Sanakoyev survived an attack on the convoy he was traveling in when it hit a remote-controlled mine. Both Sanakoyev’s administration and Georgian police officials blamed forces loyal to Kokoity's separatist government of South Ossetia for organizing the incident, but a representative of that government denied any connection with the attack.Three Injured in Attack on Georgian Convoy in S.Ossetia
''Civil Georgia''. 2008-07-03.

References

- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Georgia’s South Ossetia: One Unrecognized State, Two Unrecognized GovernmentsSouth Ossetia Ripped in Two - Kommersant Moscow
- Kommersant.

External links

Provisional administration website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanakoyev, Dmitri 1969 births Living people Prime ministers of South Ossetia People from Tskhinvali People of South Ossetia for Peace politicians