Demarcation talks with occupied regions “absolutely ruled out” - ruling party head
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday commented on the statement of the Russian foreign office. Photo: Georgian Dream press office
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said “any talks” on demarcation or delimitation of “borders” between the Government and de facto authorities of the country’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions were “absolutely ruled out”.
The official’s comment came on the heels of a statement by the Russian foreign office, which on Wednesday said Mikhail Galuzin, the Deputy Foreign Minister, had discussed the “latest incident of illegal border crossing of the South Ossetian border by Georgian citizens” - in reference to the killing of a Georgian citizen by Russian-controlled occupation forces in central Georgia earlier this month - with Co-chairs of Geneva International Discussions.
The Russian Ministry claimed the official had “raised the importance” of signing an agreement of “non-use of force” between Tbilisi and the breakaway regions, and starting the process of “delimitation of borders with a subsequent demarcation” to “prevent such incidents” in the future.
In his response, Kobakhidze said the Georgian Government's foreign policy goals and priorities were “well-known to everyone”, and added talks on the issues were “ruled out”.
The Geneva Discussions platform addresses security and humanitarian consequences of the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict, and is co-chaired by representatives of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, European Union and the United Nations, while involving delegates from Tbilisi, members of the de facto authorities from both regions, Russia and the United States.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said his party would not back “any initiative” proposed by Parliamentary opposition groups about the country’s foreign policy and occupation of its territories by Russia.
Levan Dotiashvili, a Georgian citizen who was released on Thursday after being illegally detained by the Russian-controlled occupation forces in central Georgia following an incident that led to the killing of Tamaz Ginturi, another national of the country, on Friday recounted details of the incident.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday called on the international community to make an “appropriate assessment and response” to the death of a Georgian citizen following an illegal arrest attempt by Russian-controlled occupation forces near a village adjacent to the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in central Georgia.
A Georgian citizen has died following an attempt of illegal arrest by Russian-controlled occupation forces near a village adjacent to the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in central Georgia, with another Georgian national detained, the State Security Service said on Monday.
The United States Mission to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Thursday said the killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi by Russian-controlled occupation forces earlier this month was a “reminder on how Russia’s continued occupation of Georgia’s territory impacts the people of Georgia”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said the killing of a Georgian citizen in the Russian-occupied Gali district of Abkhazia was another “deplorable fact” showing the “severity” of the occupation.