US concerned by tension at Tskhinvali occupation line, urges Russia to leave Georgia
Acting US Ambassador Elisabeth Rood has urged Russia and the de facto Tskhinvali government to take measures to ease tension.
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The US is concerned by the current tension at the Tskhinvali occupation line and the closure of so-called borders which further complicates the situation on the ground and creates serious humanitarian problems, Acting US Ambassador to Georgia Elisabeth Rood said.
We are concerned by the situation at the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Tskhinvali (one of the two Russian-occupied Georgian regions), particularly by the tension at the village of Chorchana and we urge Russia and Tskhinvali de facto leadership to take all measures to ease the tension,” Rood said.
She stated that the US also urges Russia to meet the conditions of the 2008 ceasefire agreement with Georgia and withdraw its troops from the Georgian territory.
The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) has provided the details of the current tension at the occupation line, stating that the de facto leadership of Tskhinvali has constructed two ‘police posts’ on the Tbilisi administered territory.
The mission also stated that two crossing points at Tskhinvali ABL - Odzisi and Sinaguri - have remained closed since September 4, 2019, which makes it impossible for locals to buy everyday items they need.
The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM), which is the only mission deployed in Georgia after the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, has provided details regarding the current tension at Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region ‘‘due to the level of press interest and to dispel inaccurate reports.”
The fourth meeting with members of the de facto Tskhinvali government, organised to ease recent tension at the occupation line, has ended without results. The situation became more tense at the end of August when the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali protested the opening of an ordinary police post in the village of Chorchana, Khashuri municipality, on Tbilisi administered territory.
The Georgian State Security (SSS) says that the occupying forces are carrying out illegal works at two locations within Tbilisi-administered territory, near the village of Chorchana, in the Khashuri municipality. "The actions are destructive and carry high threats, making the situation tense on the ground and complicating the lives of locals,” SSS told the IPN news agency.
The de facto Tskhinvali government has announced the closure of two crossing points with the rest of Georgia, saying the reason is an ‘escalation of tension at certain sections of the border with Georgia.’The so-called security committee of Tskhinvali has accused Tbilisi of sparking the tension, stating that the crossing points will reopen when the tension fades.
The de facto leadership of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region has announced a temporary closure of a so-called checkpoint at the village of Perevi in western Georgia. The de facto security committee of Tskhinvali says that the reason for the closure between 8 pm on September 20 and 6 am on September 22 is the so called Day of the Republic of South Ossetia.
Tbilisi has condemned the ‘temporary closure’ of a so-called checkpoint at the village of Perevi in western Georgia by the de facto government of Georgia’ Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, saying that such steps not only violate the right of locals to free movement, but also create a humanitarian crisis.
The US Government has plans to provide $500,000 to fund new enterprises in the Georgian villages along the Russian-occupied territories, the US embassy to Georgia has reported. "Residents along the occupation line need special support,” the embassy said
Georgian Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili has stated in parliament earlier today that at the moment she was delivering a speech in parliament, Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region was “was almost fully isolated” from the rest of Georgia.
The US Government will allocate funds for two new, “large-scale” projects in Georgia and the donation for both projects will amount to $1.2 million, the government of Georgia press office has reported.The Georgian government says that the US will provide $500,000 to support entrepreneurs in the villages at the occupation line in Georgia and $700,000 for the construction of a children’s hematology-oncology center in Tbilisi.
A mother living in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Akhalgori district was not allowed to leave the territory for several days to mourn her son who died in the Tserovani settlement, on Tbilisi-administered territory. The story caused public turmoil on social media, with the mother permitted to leave Akhalgori only late yesterday [while the young man died on September 22], Radio Liberty reports.
Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) to Georgia Erik Hoeg has briefed the Political and Security Committee (PSC) ambassadors from EU member states on the recent developments at the occupation line with Georgia’s currently Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (so-called South Ossetia) region in Brussels.
The US McCain Institute for International Leadership in cooperation with the Heritage Foundation and the Economic Policy Research Center has created two video visualisations showing Russia’s policy of ‘borderisation’ [erection of illegal barriers, barbed-wire-fences] in the two occupied regions of Georgia Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
Margo Martiashvili, who suffered a stroke in the Russian-controlled Akhalgori district, has died earlier today in the hospital of occupied Tskhinvali as her relatives were unable to transport her to the Tbilisi-controlled territory via the shortest route due to the closure of the so-called border.