South Ossetia

South Ossetia (Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстон, Khussar Iryston; Georgian: სამხრეთ ოსეთი, Samkhret Oseti; Russian: Южная Осетия, Yuzhnaya Osetiya) was an autonomous oblast of Georgia in Soviet times. Now the greater part of it is controlled by the government of the de facto independent "South Ossetian Republic" which is not recognised by any country or international organisation (UN, OSCE, EU, etc). Another part of South Ossetia is controlled by the Georgian government. Georgia does not recognise South Ossetia as a distinct or independent entity. However in April of 2007, the Georgian government created a temporary administrative unit (Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia ) headed by ethnic Ossetians (former members of separatist government) which would enable Tbilisi to administer the region through local leaders, negotiate with Ossetian authorities regarding its final status and conflict resolution.