On February 8, the 91st Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRM) Meeting was held in village Ergneti, near to the occupation line with Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.
The EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), which co-facilitates IPRMs, released a press release, citing EUMM Head Eric Høeg, as saying that “the overall security situation had remained relatively stable but also highlighted developments related to closure of controlled crossings points, “borderization” and activities by security actors that gave reason for concern.”
The matters of “borderization” were high on the agenda, as Tbilisi has protested construction of “a surveillance tower” in the vicinity of village Dzukaantkari (Dzukata), two days before the meeting.
Igor Kochiev, who spoke on behalf of the Moscow-backed Tskhinvali leader, Anatoly Bibilov, told reporters after the meeting that “the surveillance tower in Khurvaleti causes no threat” to local population. He added that it might help protect the residents against grass fires “which recently became rather frequent”.
Officials from Tbilisi disagree. In his press remarks, Irakli Antadze of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), said the construction of a surveillance tower is “illegal and it certainly poses threat to local population”. He condemned also “borderization” in the vicinity of the villages of Chorchana and Tsagvli in Khashuri municipality, near the occupation line.
While Antadze said the illegal process “can potentially harm the fragile security situation on the ground,” he said, the Government of Georgia “has the situation under control,” and will take “all the necessary measures” to ensure security of the locals.
EUMM has hailed the “professional atmosphere” that prevailed despite “difficult discussions.”
The 91-st #IPRM meeting, facilitated by #EUMMGeorgia and #OSCE, has just ended in Ergneti. Long and at times difficult discussions, but professional atmosphere and progress achieved on some issues for the benefit of #stability and human #security. pic.twitter.com/MnB2t5aYNF
— Erik Hoeg (@erik_hoeg) February 8, 2019
According to EUMM “discussions on the current closures of controlled crossing points” followed the debate on “borderization”, with both Høeg and Special Representative for the South Caucasus of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Rudolf Michalka emphasizing their concern “on the impact [of the closures] on freedom of movement, livelihoods, access to education and healthcare.”
Commenting on the closure of crossing points connecting the region to the rest of the country, Tskhinvali representative underscored that they will be reopened “as soon as the epidemiological situation in Georgia normalizes.” The H1N1 (“Swine flu”) outbreak was cited as the key reason for the lock-down in Tskhinvali.
According to reports both from EUMM and SSG, deaths of Archil Tatunashvili and David Basharuli were also addressed, with Georgian side demanding transfer of Tatunashvili’s internal organs and personal belongings, and investigation into death of Basharauli.
The next IPRM meeting will be held in Ergneti tentatively on March 20.
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