State Security Service head, EU special representative discuss Ukraine, Georgia’s occupied territories, release of detained citizens
The SSS said the two officials had discussed “the most complicated challenges” created by the war in Ukraine, as well as their “possible impact both in the context of global and regional security.” Photo: State Security Service of Georgia
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The situation created by the armed conflict taking place in Ukraine, the ongoing occupation of Georgian regions, and release of Georgian citizens illegally arrested by occupation forces were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia, and Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.
The SSS said the two officials had discussed “the most complicated challenges” created by the war in Ukraine, as well as their “possible impact both in the context of global and regional security.”
Liluashvili and Klaar also touched upon the current situation in Georgia’s Russian-occupied territories and along the occupation line, and related security challenges, with a particular attention given to the matter of so-called ‘borderisation’ process - the periodic shifting of the administrative boundary by occupation forces.
Another focus of the meeting was unconditional release of citizens of Georgia - Mamuka Chikvaidze, Kakhaber Natadze, Valeri Kaniashvili, Zaza Megrelishvili, Tamaz Gogichashvili and Irakli Bebua - currently in illegal imprisonment in the occupied regions following their unlawful detention by occupation troops.
The discussion also highlighted efforts made by Klaar, who serves as the Co-chair of International Geneva Discussions - the format of talks between Georgian Government and de-facto authorities on the occupied territories - and Co-chairs of the platform.
The active engagement of the officials, and the role of the European Union Monitoring Mission as a neutral and objective mediator in the talks relating to security and humanitarian matters with regard to the occupied regions were highlighted, the Georgian state security body said.
In the context, a particular portion of the meeting was devoted to the necessity of efficient application and enhancement of existing formats of negotiation - the Geneva International Discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meetings.
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met Toivo Klaar, the Co-chair of the Geneva International Discussions and the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, in Tbilisi on Thursday to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Russian occupation of two regions of Georgia, and the security environment and challenges in the South Caucasus region.
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