Breakaway Tskhinvali: Russia’s creeping occupation of Georgia continues
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Russia has advanced its creeping occupation into Georgian territory again.
In the past 24 hours Russian troops placed new demarcation signposts along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region and the rest of Georgian territory.
This move saw agricultural lands of several families in the Georgian villages of Tamarasheni and Tseronisi in central Georgia’s Kareli district now fall behind the occupation line and out of the farmers’ reach.
This illegal action by Russia came exactly one month after occupation force advanced almost 2km into Georgian territory on July 10. At that time the new ‘border’ moved to within a few hundred metres of a major highway linking Georgia's eastern and western regions. Additionally, with the creeping occupation a kilometre-long section of the BP-operated Baku-Supsa oil pipeline was now on the occupied side of the "border”.
Earlier this month, on August 6, Russian forces reinstalled the banner marking the so-called ‘state border’ on the territory adjacent to the Tsitelubani village of Gori municipality.
These actions of Russia were accessed as a "provocation” by Tbilisi.
"Our opponent tries daily to get on our nerves by worsening our deepest wound – the occupation line,” said Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili when he honoured the Georgian soldiers killed in 2008 Russia-Georgia war yesterday.
"But they do not know that we are very patient,” he added.
Meanwhile Tbilisi handed a note of protest to the Swiss side to pass on to the Russian Federation following the August 6 reinstallation of the illegal banners near Tsitelubani village.
The Swiss side was also handed a set of protest notes in July about various violations carried out in Georgia’s occupied territories.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a statement where it called on the global community to stand up against Russia’s "illegal policy” and support Georgia’s territorial integrity and defend the rights of local residents.
Currently two of Georgian regions – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, making up 20 percent of the country’s territory – are occupied by Russia.
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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.
Russia has advanced its creeping occupation into Georgian territory, resulting in a portion of the BP-operated Baku–Supsa Pipeline now under Russian control in the breakaway Tskinvali region (South Ossetia).
The situation along the administrative boundary line of Georgia's breakaway region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) today became tense after seven armed people in military uniform removed the Georgian flag away from the so-called border.
European Council (EC) President Donald Tusk has praised the Georgian Government for its "responsible” reaction to Russia’s recent "provocations” along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Georgia’s breakaway region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and the rest of the country.
Twenty percent of Georgia's territory remains occupied, mass violations of human rights and ethnic cleansing is still ongoing in the areas affected by Russian ‘borderisation’ and creeping annexation - Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is calling on the international community to react adequately after seven years of the tragic results of the Russian– Georgian war of 2008.
As the clock strikes midnight tonight, Georgia will mark the seventh anniversary of Russia’s aggression and occupation of the territories of a sovereign, independent state.
Garibashvili met with Commission members today and discussed ways to address educational and health problems as well as the vital services that are still greatly in need, including development of a reliable gas supply, water system and other basic infrastructure.
The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is concerned by reports of continued "borderisation” along the Administrative Boundary Lines between two Russian-occupied Georgian regions – Abkhazia and South Ossetia – and the rest of Georgia.
A documentary film by Georgian director Toma Chagelishvili, shot at a Georgian village at the centre of Russia’s creeping occupation, was awarded with a special prize by the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
For the first time since 2011, head of the EUMM in Georgia, Kęstutis Jankauskas, visited Moscow on September 15-16 and held meetings with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and chief of the Border Security Directorate of the Russian FSB Border Service Nikolay Kozik.
Ukraine is stepping up its support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and is implementing its non-recognition policy of Russian-occupied regions of Georgia.