Attempted illegal detention of 2 Georgian citizens, their release in focus of IPRM meeting
Regarding the recent attempted detention incident, the co-facilitators “strongly emphasised” that any use of violence was unacceptable and could lead to an “unpredictable escalation” of the conflict. Photo via EUMM in Georgia
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The attempted illegal detention of two Georgian citizens near the country’s eastern village of Chvrinisi on April 21 and their release were discussed during the 112th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in the central Georgian village of Ergneti, the State Security Service said on Thursday.
The representatives of the central Government demanded the investigation of the incident and the identification of the individuals of the occupation forces involved in it. Irakli Antadze, the Deputy Head of the Analytical Department of the Service, said there were “some expectations” of the release of the detained citizens, but he could not share “any details”.
The illegal ‘borderisation’ process carried out by occupation forces along the administrative boundary line between Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region and the rest of the country and the restriction of the free movement were also discussed at the platform for facilitating talks between the Georgian agencies and de facto authorities of the occupied region, Antadze noted.
Today's meeting was very lengthy with tense discussions. [...] The Chvrinisi incident was given an extremely strict assessment and we announced that it was necessary to hold the perpetrators liable for this, as our fellow citizen was seriously injured and his life was in danger”, he said.
The 112th IPRM was held in Ergneti today, under co-facilitation of @EUMMGeorgia_HoM Dimitrios Karabalis, and Viorel Moşanu, the Special Representative of the @OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.
— EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (@EUMMGeorgia) April 27, 2023
???? More info: https://t.co/t6UoR24hxo pic.twitter.com/DHy7ThYdQI
The co-facilitators of the meeting, Dimitrios Karabalis, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia and Viorel Moşanu, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, welcomed the opening of two crossing points along the ABL earlier in April for the Orthodox Easter festivities and reiterated their calls for the full re-opening of crossing points.
Regarding the recent attempted detention incident, the co-facilitators “strongly emphasised” that any use of violence was unacceptable and could lead to an “unpredictable escalation” of the conflict.
The next IPRM meeting is scheduled to be convened on July 3, 2023.