US representative to OSCE extends condolences to Georgia over death of four in Enguri River
Courtney Austrian addressed the OSCE Permanent Council today. Photo: US Mission to the OSCE
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Chargé d’Affaires of the United States to the OSCE Courtney Austrian has expressed the ‘heartfelt condolences’ of the US to the family and friends of the four Georgians who died attempting to cross the Enguri River on April 7.
This heartbreaking situation reminds us - that for far too many years - families have been forced daily to make unimaginable choices to be with the people they love, find medical care and education, or put food on the table", Courtney Austrian said.
Noting that the US appreciates the United Nations’ facilitation of a humanitarian corridor across the Enguri Bridge, she said 'protecting human life demands cooperation in order to avert future tragedies'.
I want to express the heartfelt condolences of the US to the family & friends of the Georgians who died attempting to cross the Enguri River on Apr 7 & to those struck by the humanitarian crisis created by the pandemic & restricted movement across the ABLhttps://t.co/od1ZGL5k6I pic.twitter.com/PrQy1CQCu8
— Courtney Austrian, USOSCE Chargé d’Affaires (@USAmbOSCE) April 15, 2021
In her response to Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia to the Permanent Council earlier today Courtney Austrian spoke of importance of the Geneva International Discussions and its Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism aimed to discuss the situation in the two Russian-occupied regions of Georgia.
Courtney Austrian said that the US welcomed the commitment of the participants in the recent round of the GID held on March 25-26.
She however said that the US delegation 'expressed regret that many opportunities to save lives through a collaborative pandemic response were lost and urged participants to cooperate on life-saving efforts as the pandemic continues'.
The United States urged progress on clarifying the fate of all missing persons, regardless of where, when, and under what circumstances they disappeared. We regretted participants from Russia and de facto authorities walked out of a critical discussion on internally displaced persons and refugee returns", Courtney Austrian said.
The US Chargé d’Affaires noted as well that the US 'expressed regret at continued borderisation, including several kilometres of new fencing and barriers' along the occupation line since the onset of the pandemic.
These actions increase personal and economic hardships among vulnerable populations at an already difficult time. The United States urges Russian and de facto authorities to end the practice of detaining innocent civilians in and around the occupied territories and to release current detainees", she said.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Calling on Russia to implement the EU-mediated 2008 six-point ceasefire agreement, which is ‘the core mandate of the GID’ Courtney Austrian said ‘many lives would have been saved during the pandemic if humanitarian organisations had had unhindered access to the whole of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in accordance with the 2008 agreement’.
She said ‘likewise, the withdrawal of troops to pre-conflict positions, as agreed in 2008, would reduce civilian detentions and ensure citizens’ access to care in medical emergencies’.
Expressing the full support of the US to Georgia’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders Chargé d’Affaires Austrian said the recent ruling by the European Court for Human Rights has ‘added further weight to the international community’s demand that Russia cease its blatant violations of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’.