Russia and South Ossetia have signed an...
The agreement was signed between Serdyukov and his South Ossetian counterpart Yury Tanayev who is on a working visit to Moscow.
"From now on, the status of our military base is changing. With the signing of this agreement, Russia assumes full responsibility for the protection of South Ossetia," Serdyukov said.
The agreement is for a 49-year term and can automatically be extended at 15-year intervals, Serdyukov said.
A similar agreement was signed in Moscow on February 17 with Abkhazia, another former Georgian republic.
Russia recognized the independence of the former Georgian republics in August 2008 after repelling Georgia"s assault on South Ossetia in a five-day war. Only Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny Pacific island state of Nauru have followed suit.
The Russian defense minister said the situation along the South Ossetia border with Georgia remained tense and the threat of the use of force by Georgia persisted.