124th Ergneti IPRM Meeting
On April 3, the 124th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meeting was held in Ergneti (in the vicinity of the Tskhinvali occupation line).
Statement by SSSG
Representatives from the State Security Service of Georgia demanded the punishment of those responsible for the murder of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi, who was shot dead by Russian occupying forces on Nov. 6, 2023, near the village of Kirbali in the Gori municipality during an attempted illegal arrest.
The Georgian government also reiterated its call for the release of all illegally detained Georgian citizens and “strongly condemned the illegal so-called borderization practices identified during the meetings.”
“The subject of the discussion was the humanitarian problems faced by the local population living near the occupation line, including issues related to free movement, and the potential solutions to these problems,” the SSSG statement said.
Statement by EUMM
According to the EUMM Statement, the OSCE and EUMM co-facilitators (Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Christoph Späti and the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, Bettina Patricia Boughani) advocated for the lifting of freedom of movement restrictions during the upcoming Orthodox Easter holiday period, emphasizing the importance of allowing local communities on both sides of the administrative boundary line (ABL) to participate in religious traditions, in particular visiting cemeteries.”
The co-facilitators called for the full reopening of crossing points, citing the positive impact such measures would have on the lives of conflict-affected population.
Additionally, both co-facilitators urged to discontinue the practice of detentions and called for a humanitarian approach to resolving existing cases.
Participants “commended the constructive technical meeting on irrigation that took place on March 31 in anticipation of the upcoming irrigation season,” the EUMM said. The mission reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating the exchange of irrigation-related information through the EUMM-managed hotline and measuring water levels, recognizing the importance of timely and accurate data in addressing these issues.
Statement by Tskhinvali Representative
According to the de facto authorities in occupied Tskhinvali, discussions included issues related to the supply of irrigation water. Egor Kochiev, the de facto deputy presidential envoy for post-conflict settlement and head of the South Ossetian delegation to the IPRM, said the parties confirmed their intention to continue supplying irrigation water.
“Last year we had quite a successful season, and there is hope that this year it will be no worse, and perhaps even better, and our agricultural producers will not lack irrigation water,” he said.
The next meeting within the framework of the IPRM will be held on June 11.
Also Read:
- 14/02/2025 – 123rd Ergneti IPRM Meeting
- 19/11/2024 – 122 Ergneti IPRM Meeting
- 13/09/2024 – 121 Ergneti IPRM Meeting
- 08/08/2024 – President Zurabishvili in Ergneti: Europe Will be the Ultimate Unifier
- 23/07/2024 – 120th Ergneti IPRM Meeting
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