Ukrainian Minister meets with family behind barbed wire fence

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin visited a family living behind a barbed wire fence near the Russian-occupied region of Georgia - Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) this weekend.

The occupation line isolates the house of Davit Vanishvili and his family from the rest of Khurvaleti village, preventing them from freely moving along the village and sometimes even from buying food.

• Georgia and Ukraine share agenda on de-occupation

Meeting Vanishvili, Minister Klimkin learned more about the serious humanitarian situation that the family is facing behind the barbed wire fence.

I actually have the same sad feeling when I come to the line of contact in Donbass occupied by Russia… the same feeling in villages along the line of contact and also here. And you can say it’s symbolic where Russia is and where we have occupied territories we have barbed wire”, Klimkin said.

Minister Klimkin expressed his special gratitude to everyone in Georgia who has fought against Russian aggression and "who fought for Georgian independence, for Georgian freedom” because he said this is something absolutely inviolable.

It’s not about politics, it’s about people, it’s about their feelings, it’s about their way how to understand Georgia - democratic and European Georgian. And I keep saying we have the same values, we have the same roles – it’s about European integration, it’s about becoming a part of the European and Trans-Atlantic family. But we have the same challenges and threats and we have to fight together”, Klimkin said.

He said he felt emotional when he shook hands with Davit Vanishvili who, Klimin said is "a Russian prisoner under Russian occupation”.

Prisoner of RU occupation of South Ossetia.Barbed wire,violation of human rights&freedoms,hostages: results of Russia's presence everywhere. pic.twitter.com/d1aTfqPQl0

— Pavlo Klimkin (@PavloKlimkin) 22 April 2017

Ukrainian Foreign Minister arrived to Georgia on Friday. 

Meeting with the Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze he condemned the Russian occupation and aggression against Georgia and Ukraine "as gross violation of fundamental principles of international law that poses a serious threat to international peace and security”.