Concerns Russia moving to annex South Ossetia as treaty signed with Georgia breakaway region

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a wide-ranging treaty with the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia, which critics say paves the way for Moscow to annex the territory.

The “Treaty on Alliance and Integration” determines the long-term relations between Russia and South Ossetia, Putin said after signing the document in the Kremlin with Leonid Tibilov, the region’s president.