Release of illegally detained Georgian citizen, ‘borderisation,’ Covid-19 remain in focus of IPRM meeting
The EUMM in Georgia was established on 15 September 2008 after the Russia-Georgia war to monitor the EU-brokered ceasefire 6-Point agreement between the countries, however, the mission has no access to the occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The release of Georgian citizen Gela Gochoshvili who was detained by the Russian occupation forces several months ago, and the illegal ‘borderisation’ process remained at the top of agenda of the 103th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) which was held in Ergneti earlier today.
The meeting participants also discussed the impact of the closure of crossing points and the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus Ambassador Annika Soder praised the participants’ commitment to engage in regular exchange in the IPRM format and called on them ‘to apply a pragmatic and humanitarian approach during the upcoming holiday season.’
The co-facilitators also stressed the importance of continued dialogue and called for mutually acceptable solutions that uphold humanitarian principles and human rights, and that respond positively to the needs of the conflict-affected population living on both sides of the ABL,” the the European Union Monitoring mission (EUMM) reports.
This #IPRM meeting is now over. Participants discussed the impact of the closure of crossing points, most recent security developments, detention cases and the consequences of the pandemic. Next meeting was agreed for 20 January 2022. Read more:https://t.co/JIzAHLivN5 pic.twitter.com/6lTJkcLp8X
— EUMM Georgia (@EUMMGeorgia) November 18, 2021
The Democracy Research Institute (DRI) says that the pandemic is being used by the de facto government of Tskhinvali to isolate the region from Tbilisi, noting that the local hospital in Tskhinvali region ‘is declared a red zone as there is an ‘unfavourable environment for human life and health’.
The issue of Genadi Bestaev, who was illegally arrested in November 2019 and released recently after the deterioration of his health, has also been discussed at the meeting.
51-year-old Bestaev currently is in a coma after having a stroke and is undergoing treatment in Tbilisi.
During the meeting, attention was drawn to the Women, Peace and Security agenda and how this could further be integrated into the IPRM format,” the EUMM adds.
The IPRM meetings in Ergneti is co-facilitated by the EUMM and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The EUMM in Georgia was established on 15 September 2008 after the Russia-Georgia war to monitor the EU-brokered ceasefire 6-Point agreement between the countries, however, the mission has no access to the occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The EUMM’s mandate originally was authorised for a year but since then it has been extended eight times.