IPRM Meeting Suspended over ‘Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List’

The 57th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRMs) in Abkhazia’s eastern Gali district was reportedly suspended today as Russian and Abkhaz participants left the meeting over their disagreement with Georgian representatives.

Irakli Antadze of the State Security Service of Georgia said after the meeting that the case of Giga Otkhozoria, whose alleged murderer – Rashid Kanji-Ogli, an Abkhaz officer – was also included in the list, should have been the main agenda item at the meeting.

Antadze, however, added that representatives from Russia and Sokhumi politicized the adoption of the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, and requested the issue to be removed from the agenda “through blackmail and ultimatum.”

The EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), which participates in IPRMs, confirmed that the meeting was short and that it did not prove possible to conclude deliberations “as some participants did not see a basis for continuing the meeting.”

The protest comes a day after the Government of Georgia blacklisted 33 persons convicted or charged with grave crimes committed against the citizens of Georgia in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia since early 1990s.

Sokhumi authorities condemned the decision yesterday, saying they were “deeply concerned” over “the extremely destructive actions” of the Government of Georgia, which could lead to “complete obstruction of the work of the Geneva International Discussions.”

Murad Jioev, Tskhinvali’s chief negotiator with Tbilisi, criticized the decision as well, saying the list was intended at “discrediting South Ossetia and violating the rights of its citizens.”

The IPRMs format was established under the Geneva International Discussions to address the security concerns and developments on the ground on a regular basis, and involves officials from Tbilisi on the one hand and representatives of Tskhinvali and Sokhumi authorities on the other in two, separate meetings, as well as representatives of the Russian border troops.

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