Syria’s Deputy Prime Minister Walid al-Moallem and South Ossetian Foreign Minister Dmitry Medoyev signed a document establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries when their delegations met on Sunday, Sana reported. Syria became one of the few countries to recognize the independence of South Ossetia in late May. The move drew the ire of Georgia, from which South Ossetia broke away after the 2008 war.