Reports: S.Ossetia against Rotation of Georgian Peacekeepers
The Georgian peacekeeping battalion stationed in the South Ossetian conflict zone blocked the main highway in the region after the South Ossetian side refused to let the unit of Georgian peacekeepers reach Georgian villages north of the breakaway region’s capital Tskhinvali, Russian news agencies reported on February 19.
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli announced on Saturday that Tbilisi was planning to start a rotation of its peacekeeping battalion on Sunday. The Georgian peacekeepers planned to reach the Georgian village of Achabeti via Tskhinvali.
But the South Ossetian side claims that the rotation is illegal, as, according to the agreements, a rotation should only be held once every six months with prior notification of all parties involved.
“The South Ossetian side, in particular co-chairman of the JCC [Joint Control Commission] Boris Chochiev [vice-premier of the unrecognized republic], has warned the Georgian side many times about the inadmissibility of this kind of action [rotating troops once every two months]. And now we have demonstrated [these warnings] by not giving access to the Georgian peacekeepers,” Irina Gagloeva, a spokesperson for the breakaway region’s government, was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
Interfax news agency quoted an aide to Commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) Nikolai Baranov as saying that the Georgian side closed down the major road “unilaterally, without coordinating [this decision] with the command of the JPKF.”
The Georgian officials in charge were not immediately available for comment late on Sunday.
