Experts meet at Georgian border-crossing village
Tweet 
Share
Conflict resolution experts descended in the Georgian village of Ergneti to discuss issues that are plaguing the troubled region.
The 41st meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti and was attended by Georgias EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) leader Toivo Klaar and Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger.
The detention of people who had crossed barbed wire fences at border-crossing villages were discussed at the important meeting. It was the first time Gnaedinger had participated in the meeting in his role of Special Representative of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship.
In Ergneti, the participants also discussed various issues facing local communities and reviewed the situation regarding electricity and water supply, as well as the pollution of agricultural land.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Army recently installed banners in multiple villages in the Kareli region. These were: Knolevi, Avlevi, Tseronisi, Tamarasheni, Ghogheti, Dirbi and Dvan.
Propaganda banners were also installed in numerous villages in the Gori region, including Ergneti, Ditsi, Qere, Flavi, Flavismani, Mejvriskhevi, Tsitsagiantkari, and Zemo niqozi.
It is understood Russian troops set up the banners on December 4 last year.
The IPRM was created in February 2009 as a result of the Geneva Discussions that followed the 2008 conflict in Georgia. The meetings are an opportunity to identify and discuss potential risks, the follow-up of incidents and issues affecting the communities on a daily basis. The meetings are co-facilitated by the OSCE and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia.
Conflict resolution experts have discussed humanitarian issues at Georgia’s border-crossing villages along the breakaway Tskhinvali region, which is backed by Russia.
An elderly man from the Kaspi district is the latest Georgian citizen to be detained by Russian soldiers at the so-called occupation line near Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.
Russian Occupational forces have released a Georgian teenager, after he was taken as a hostage for allegedly crossing the so-called occupation line.
The Georgian citizen who went missing in the town of Akhalgori in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) six months ago has been found dead today.
A Georgian man has been taken hostage near the so-called administrative border with Georgia's breakaway Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia).
A middle-aged resident has been snatched by Russian guards for allegedly attempting to cross the so-called border between Georgia and breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
An elderly Georgian man has been detained and taken hostage in occupied Tskhinvali territory after allegedly crossing the administrative border while watching his grazing cattle.
A Georgian man has been detained in occupied Tskhinvali territory while attending his mother-in-law’s funeral at the village cemetery located near the de facto occupation line.
Two more Georgian citizens have been detained by Russian soldiers today – the same day conflict resolution experts discussed possible ways to stop these kinds of detentions near the occupation line.
Georgian farmers whose lands fell behind the occupation line after Russia advanced 2km into Georgian territory earlier this month, will be able to freely access their harvest.
Today Russian soldiers together with de facto Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) representatives detained three Georgian citizens who were grazing their cattle in Sakorintlo village, eastern Kaspi region, near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
IDFI alleged the Russian side used maps dating back to the Soviet Union era, that showed outdated administrative boundaries when erecting new barbed wire fences and boundaries on Georgian territory.
Freedom of movement and access to land was high on the agenda of last week’s 62nd meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) group in Ergneti, facilitated by the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM).
In the past month 10 Georgian citizens have been illegally detained near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) dividing breakaway Tskinvali region (South Ossetia) from the rest of Georgia.
Representatives of Georgia’s de facto Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region are refusing to allow Georgians onto the breakaway territory to visit the graves of their loved ones for the Easter holiday.