Tbilisi sends protest note to Moscow for redrawing “border”

A barbed wire fence and "border" banner installed by Russian guards in Georgia's Khurvaleti village. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Agenda.ge, 15 Jul 2015 - 16:04, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgia has officially sent a letter of protest to Russia denouncing Russia’s "provocative actions” and unlawful claim over Georgian territory in a move called creeping occupation.

The country’s Foreign Ministry sent the official note today - five days after Russia erected new so-called border signs along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) and the rest of the country.

In the note, the Georgian side condemned its northern neighbour’s "provocative actions” in the strongest possible terms.

On July 10, Russian forces in occupied Tskhinvali installed banners marking the so-called "state border” on the territory adjacent to Tsitelubani village in Gori municipality and Orchosani village in occupied Akhalgori district, in close vicinity to the Tbilisi-Gori central highway.

These actions saw Russia’s occupational forces advance 2km into Georgian territory.

The letter of protest from Tbilisi to Moscow was sent through the Swiss Embassy as Switzerland has acted as a diplomatic mediator between Russia and Georgia since the two countries cut diplomatic relations after the August 2008 war.

Swiss Ambassador in Tbilisi Guenther Baechler was welcomed to Georgia’s Foreign Ministry earlier today where he was briefed about the situation along the ABL in Georgia and was asked to hand Tbilisi’s protest note to the Moscow authorities.

Baechler said this action of Russia needed to be met with "proper reaction”.