Russian MFA: Tatunashvili’s case is beyond scope of Russian-Georgian agenda
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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).
Expressing their sadness over Tatunashvili’s death, the Russian Federation said this issue is far out of the framework of the Russian-Georgian agenda.
Welcoming Georgian PM’s readiness for a direct dialogue with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Russian ministry said this is the only real way to solve pressing issues.
No one should doubt that Russia is still interested in improving relations with neighboring Georgia and is ready to go as far as Tbilisi is ready [to go]”, the Russian foreign ministry said.
On March 9 the Georgian PM urged Russia to take joint steps to resolve the case of Tatunashvili’s death in the occupied Tskhinvali region that took place on February 23.
Kvirikashvili further reaffirmed his commitment to becoming personally involved in the Geneva International Discussions to achieve real progress, which since the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008 has been the only format of dialogue between Georgia and Russia.
Urging Russia to ensure the handing over of Tatunashvili’s body, the Georgian Foreign Ministry has also issued a statement.
We hope that on the next round of Geneva [discussions] we will manage to take specific steps to solve this long-lasting deadlock and the peaceful regulation of conflict”, the ministry said.
Tatunashvili and two other Georgian citizens were detained by occupation forces on February 22 in the Akhalgori area, on territory currently controlled by Russians, allegedly for Tatunashvili’s participation in the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
People gathered at the Freedom Square in the centre of Tbilisi last Sunday to condemn death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili. Photo by Mzia Saganelidze/RFERL
Nineteen days after Tatunashvili’s death in unclear circumstances, the de facto Tskhinvali leadership has still not handed over his body to his family, claiming that they need time for a "comprehensive autopsy.”
Levan Kutashvili and Ioseb Pavliashvili, who were detained with Tatunashvili, were only able to leave the occupied region late on Sunday.
The United States, NATO, the European Union, a number of other countries and almost all international organisations have urged Russia and the de-facto leadership to hand over Tatunashvili’s body to his family and allow Kutashvili and Papunashvili to return freely across the occupation line.
- Russia recognised Abkhazia and Tskhinvali 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.
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 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.
"I urge the leadership of the Russian Federation to take joint steps and resolve this complicated situation”, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has said. 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”.
People gathered at the Freedom Square in the centre of Tbilisi today to condemn death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region. Demonstrators brought flowers and lit candles in memory of the 35-year-old, who died in the occupied region under unclear circumstances on February 23.
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.
Georgian parliamentary members from the ruling and opposition parties have agreed on adopting a joint resolution over the recent death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali.
The body of the 35-year-old Georgian soldier, Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23, has been handed over to representatives of the government of Georgia several minutes ago, 26 days after his death.
The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) has released a statement over the release of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili’s body from the occupied region of Tskhinvali.
The parliament of Georgia has adopted a joint resolution on the case of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who was reported dead in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali on 23 February. The resolution condemns Russia’s actions in the occupied territories of Georgia, makes a series of demands on Russia and envisages the creation of a sanctions list of individuals who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the occupied regions of Georgia.
A lawyer from NGO Human Rights Centre has told the media that Archil Tatunashvili, a Georgian citizen killed by Russian-controlled border guards in February, was returned to his family with his bodily organs missing.
The Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria stated at the 6th EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee in Brussels yesterday that impunity in Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions encourage violence.
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.
The 43rd round of the Geneva International Discussions - international talks launched to address the consequences of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war - took place in the end of March, this year. The participants agreed to hold the next round of talks in June 2018.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s office has charged two individuals living in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region, for the illegal deprivation of liberty and support in torturing of a Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili.
The Mtskheta District Court in the east Georgia sent two individuals from the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region to pre-trial detention in absentia for illegal deprivation of liberty of a Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili and support in torturing of him.
The whereabouts of the internal organs missing from the tortured and killed Georgian soldier Archil Tatunashvili have been identified. Karasin says that Tatunashvili’s autopsy was conducted in Vladikavkaz and not in Moscow and that the Vladikavkaz laboratory carried out the investigation to establish the reason of the death of the Georgian soldier.
Archil Tatunashvili, a former Georgian soldier who was brutally murdered by occupying forces in the occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) last year, would have turned 36 today. His body was transported to the Tbilisi administered territory only after about a month with his internal organs removed and more than 100 injuries on his body.
Georgian soldier Archil Tatunashvili, who was brutally murdered by occupying forces in the Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 20, 2018, would have turned 37 today.