South Ossetian customs officers will receive equal social guarantees with Russian citizens, Deputy Head of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation Tatyana Merkushova told reporters.
Tatyana Merkushova, leading a delegation of the Federal Customs Service, arrived in to participate in the Customs Service Employees' Day celebrations.
On Friday, the agreement between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia on pension provisions for customs officers and their families was signed in Tskhinval.
"The customs authorities of Russia and South Ossetia are actively cooperating. This year, we completed integration processes. At the September forum, we also signed another long-awaited agreement on the recognition of years of service. Now, the pension agreement has been signed. We are working to ensure that citizens of South Ossetia receive equal social guarantees with citizens of the Russian Federation. This is a significant event for us. Those who were at the forefront of the agency's development will be able to retire, and new personnel will join the customs service," Merkushova said.
Also on Friday, a protocol was signed amending the agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia on the procedure and conditions for co-financing, with Russian Federation funds, the increase in salaries for customs officers in South Ossetia, effective February 7, 2023.
Aleksandr Chochiev, Head of the South Ossetian Customs Committee, has noted that the signing of this protocol was a necessary step that will expand opportunities for salary increases.
"Inspectors and the Committee employees were unable to receive qualification titles, as these required additional payments, and we were unable to increase salaries every year. But after the signing of the protocol, such problems will no longer exist," Chochiev said.
