GID Co-Chairs Speak ‘Borderization’ ahead of IPRM
Co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) that are visiting Georgia as part of their “continual efforts to address the potential effects” of “borderization” and other developments, issued a statement ahead of Thursday’s incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in Ergneti village at the southern edge of the capital of occupied Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.
The co-chairs said the recent developments in Gugutiantkari village of Gori Municipality, near the occupation line with Tskhinvali Region, “have raised tensions on the ground and have humanitarian consequences for the local people.”
According to the GID co-chairs, “with all such fencing, the newly erected structures hinder freedom of movement for people living there, prevent them from reaching their orchards and threaten access to irrigation water.”
“We have been and will continue to be in contact with all relevant actors, drawing their attention to this and other pressing issues, and call on them to make full and responsible use of the existing mechanisms for communication to resolve the current and other concerns,” the GID co-chairs stated.
A number of countries and organizations, including the United States, the European Union and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, have also condemned “borderization” in Georgia.
Georgian Foreign Minister Weighs In
On the same day, they also spoke of “borderization” with the Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani. According to Zalkaliani, Georgia will use all of its tools in frames of OSCE, EU and UN “to avoid illegal actions in future.”
Zalkaliani said, the GID co-chairs have visited the villages along the occupation line and familiarized themselves with the situation on ground. He said at both meetings, on the upcoming IPRM in Ergneti as well as the GID meeting of October 8-9, “there will be a discussion on how to stop the ‘borderization’ process” in Georgia.
- Georgian, Lithuanian Presidents Speak ‘Borderization’ in Vilnius
- EU Foreign Policy Chief, Georgian Foreign Minister Hold Phone Talk
Earlier, FM Zalkaliani held phone talk with the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres over the ongoing “borderization” near Tskhinvali Region, as well as the recent “presidential polls” in Abkhazia.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
