Georgia Slams Russia’s Veto to Prolong OSCE Border Monitoring

Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on January 14 protesting against, as it put it, “groundless and unjustified” position of the Russian Federation, which led to suspension of the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) on the Russian-Georgian border, after the Russian side vetoed prolongation of the mission’s mandate at the OSCE Permanent Council session on December 30.

“The Georgian Foreign Ministry expresses its alarm over this fact, because the most troubled section of the Georgian-Russian border is left without international community’s monitoring, which is the major guarantor of stability and peace in the region,” the statement reads.
 
Up to 150 unarmed observers from OSCE member countries conducted round-the-clock foot, air and vehicle monitoring procedures along the 280 km Daghestani, Chechen and Ingush sections of the Russian-Georgian border, in an effort to observe and report border-crossing movements.

“It is even more alarming, that suspension of the border monitoring operation coincides with the irresponsible statement made by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov over readiness to carry out pre-emptive strikes against the terrorist bases, which, as if, exist in the [Russia’s] neighboring country,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry’s statement reads.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov, who currently visits the United States, said on January 13, that Russia is ready to hit pre-emptively the terrorist bases outside the Russian territory.

In the statement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry urges international community to take all the measure in order “to replace OSCE border monitoring operation with international observers” so that to secure peace and stability in the region.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said, while addressing the OSCE Permanent Council on January 13, that he regrets that the OSCE border monitoring operation in Georgia was not extended.

“I know that Georgia would like to have international assistance for border management and security and we should be receptive to the call,” the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel said.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)