Tbilisi denies reports by de facto Tskhinvali on opening of ‘new police checkpoint’

The Georgian State Security Service has denied the reports of the de facto Tskhinvali government on the opening of a new police checkpoint at the village of Perevi, in Sachkhere municipality of western Georgia, which is located near the occupation line.

Tskhinvali media has reported that “MPs in Tskhinvali and the speaker” suspended their regular meeting earlier today and went to the “border with Georgia,” as soon as they received information regarding the opening of a new Georgian police checkpoint near the village of Sinaguri, next to Perevi, currently occupied by Russia.

The media reported the event as “another provocation by Tbilisi.”

The Georgian State Security Service says that an existing police checkpoint at the village of Perevi will be relocated by several hundred meters on the Tbilisi-controlled territory to shorten the route walked by locals.

People are able to cross the occupation line at the village only on foot and then they have to walk a long distance to the police checkpoint. To ease their movement, the checkpoint will be relocated and works have been launched for this. The de facto Tskhinvali leadership was informed regarding the change in May 2018 and afterwards, during several Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings,” the State Security Service says.

At the end of August the de facto leadership demanded a police checkpoint in the village of Chorchana, in Khashuri municipality be dismantled. 

• Georgian police checkpoint to remain at occupation line, talks to continue to ease tension