125th Ergneti IPRM Meeting

On June 11, the 125th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti, in the vicinity of the Tskhinvali occupation line. The meeting was co-facilitated by the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, Bettina Patricia Boughani, and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Christoph Späti.

SSSG’s Statement

Georgia’s State Security Service said “all important incidents” identified along the occupation line since the previous IPRM meeting were discussed during the meeting.

It also said that its representatives reiterated the demand to hold all those responsible for the killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi accountable. Ginturi was shot dead by Russian occupying forces on November 6, 2023, during an attempted illegal arrest near the village of Kirbali in the Gori municipality.

The authorities also reiterated their call for the “unconditional and immediate” release of all illegally detained Georgian citizens. “The facts of illegal so-called borderization that were identified in the recent period were severely condemned,” the SSSG said.

The discussions also included “humanitarian issues facing the local population residing near the occupation line, including problems related to freedom of movement and possibilities for their resolution,” the SSSG further noted.

EUMM’s Statement

“The OSCE and EUMM reiterated their call for a full re-opening of all crossing points along the administrative boundary line (ABL),” the EUMM stated, adding that “unhindered access would considerably enhance the livelihoods of people living near the ABL in particular.”

Participants exchanged positions on “recent security developments, limitations on freedom of movement, duty of care to isolated elderly, cultural heritage, and issues related to wastewater.”

“The co-facilitators reiterated their concern regarding the continuous practice of detentions and renewed their call for the release of those in custody,” the EU Monitoring Mission said.

All co-facilitators noted the positive impact of cooperation on irrigation and encouraged further efforts in this area. The official press release says the “participants praised the EUMM-managed Hotline as an invaluable tool for exchanging information, defusing tensions, and managing incidents in a timely manner.”

Statement by Tskhinvali De Facto Representative:

Tskhinvali once again demanded the removal of the Chorchana-Tsnelisi police checkpoint. Igor Kochiev, the de facto representative of the Moscow-backed occupied regime, said the post’s presence hinders, “among other things, the free movement of our citizens who want to reach their homes on the right side of the Lamushuristskali river [near the occupied village of Lopani].”

“We see only one solution to this problem – the removal of this post and its withdrawal from the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia,” he added, as per the local news agency.

The next meeting within the framework of the IPRM will be held on 21 July 2025.

Also Read:

• 03/04/2025 – 124th Ergneti IPRM Meeting
• 14/02/2025 – 123rd Ergneti IPRM Meeting
• 19/11/2024 – 122 Ergneti IPRM Meeting
• 13/09/2024 – 121 Ergneti IPRM Meeting

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