PM Kvirikashvili urges Russia to take joint steps to resolve “complicated situation“ over Tatunashvili’s death in occupied Tskhinvali
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"I urge the leadership of the Russian Federation to take joint steps and resolve this complicated situation”, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has said.
Fifteen days after the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) in unclear circumstances, his body has still not been handed over to his family for burial, while Levan Kutashvili and Ioseb Pavliashvili still remain in occupied Tskhinvali and unable to travel.
Although we have restored bilateral trade and economic relations, a chain of tragic events continues. This undermines the prospects of regulating Georgia-Russia relations", Kvirikashvili said in a statement released today.
This August marks the 10th anniversary since the war of 2008, which according to PM Kvirikashvili "has left a tremendous mark on the Georgian people’s minds and Georgia-Russia relations”.
Moscow’s recognition of independence of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region has brought to a dead end all prospects of normal relations between our states”, he said.
According to Kvirikashvili, the two sides can meet this anniversary with either accusations and harsh statements - of which there certainly has been no lack throughout the past years - or to take sensible steps, even small, to lead relations out of this vicious cycle.
We are also ready for a direct dialogue with the Abkhazians and the Ossetians, and a genuinely constructive approach from the Russian side would be welcome in this context. With political will in place, we believe it feasible to take other sensible steps as well", PM Kvirikashvili said.
He further reaffirmed his commitment to personal involvement in the Geneva International Discussions to reach tangible progress, which since the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008 has been the only format of dialogue between Georgia and Russia.
People gathered at the Freedom Square in the centre of Tbilisi on Sunday to condemn death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili. Photo by Mzia Saganelidze/RFERL
- Tatunashvili and two other Georgian citizens were detained by occupation forces on February 22 in Akhalgori area, on territory currently controlled by Russians, allegedly for Tatunashvili’s participation in the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
- Tskhinvali media announced the death of Tatunashvili on February 23, and stated that the latter had an incident with detention facility staff and fell down a flight of stairs. However, the de-facto security service of Tskhinvali claims the man died due to heart failure.
- Tskhinvali refuses to hand over the body until Russian experts provide the outcome of an autopsy. The Patriarchate of Georgia has announced that through the request of the Georgian Patriarch Ilia II Russian Patriarch Kirill has become involved in the body-transfer process.
- Two others detained with Tatunashvili have been released from detention but they cannot leave the occupied territory due to the fact that their identification documents have been confiscated.
- The United States, NATO, the European Union, a number of other countries and almost all international organisations have stated they are deeply concerned over the case and have urged Russia and the de-facto leadership to hand over the body and to not hinder a transparent investigation into the death.
Russia recognised Abkhazia and the other Georgian breakaway region of Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) as independent countries after a military armed conflict with Georgia in 2008.
As of today, only four countries recognise Georgia’s breakaway regions as independent republics; these are Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru.
The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has expressed his concern over the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili and the detention of two others in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions have expressed their concern over the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili under unclear circumstances in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali.
Thirteen days after Tatunashvili’s death, his body has not been handed over to his family for burial and two other Georgian citizens Levan Kutashvili and Ioseb Pavliashvili, detained with Tatunashvili on February 22, still remain in the occupied region.
Amnesty International has issued a statement concerning the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). Twelve days have passed since the death of Tatunashvili, aged 35, in unclear circumstances in the occupied Tskhinvali region.
Georgia’s prime minister has said the body of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who died in the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali, will be buried on home soil. In a statement released Sunday, Giorgi Kvirikashvili said it was a tragedy that the family could not mourn the loss of their loved one.
The two Georgian citizens detained in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), Levan Kutashvili and Ioseb Pavliashvili, have left Akhalgori, a territory currently controlled by Russia.Kutashvili and Pavliashvili were illegally detained on February 22 together with Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances on February 23.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman has written on his official Twitter account that the Georgian PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s address to Russia to act jointly to resolve the complicated situation concerning Archil Tatunashvili’s death came at a challenging moment and argued for sensible steps.
The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation has responded to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s recent appeal to act jointly to resolve the complicated situation concerning Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili’s death in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Twenty days have passed since the death of Georgian citizen, Archil Tatunashvili, in unclear circumstances in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). His body has yet to be handed over to the Tatunashvili family for burial. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili once again reiterated importance of the Geneva International Discussions to achieve real progress.
Locals of the Russian occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) cannot use the crossing-point between the breakaway region and the rest of Georgia for a couple of days.
Georgian Foreign Minister has released a statement condemning the opening of 33 polling stations in the Russian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) for today’s Russian presidential elections.
The United States (US) Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly said it is inadmissible to carry out any activities in the Russian occupied regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) - without the consent of the Government of Georgia.
The Georgian Justice Ministry is drafting a lawsuit for the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Russia over the high-profile Archil Tatunashvili’s case.35-year-old Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili died in Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23 and was returned to his family for burial only about a month later.