Tbilisi Says Russia is ‘Undermining’ the IPRMs Format

“We express concern over the destructive actions of the Russian Federation that seriously undermine not only the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms in Gali and Ergneti but the whole Geneva International Discussions,” reads the comment of the Press and Information Department of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement comes after the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) expressed “deep concern” over the suspension of the 89th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in village Ergneti close to the occupation line with Tskhinvali Region, and accused the Georgian participants of “politicizing” the meetings format.

The Press and Information Department stressed the MID comments are “aimed at misleading the international society through distorting the facts,” and “are particularly harmful.”

The Department also said the Georgian side has been continuously raising the issue with partner countries and international organizations. “The international community is consolidated in assessment that damaging the negotiation formats will further aggravate the already difficult security and humanitarian conditions on the ground.”

The Foreign Ministry then called on the Russian Federation “to demonstrate the responsible approach and return to the working process” in the IPRMs, and appealed to the international community “to intensify the efforts to ensure unimpeded work” of the negotiations format “in full respect for the founding principles and ground rules.”

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.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)