MFA Appeals to Diplomatic Corps over South Ossetia Border Encroachment

Tamar Beruchashvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, met with Ambassador Kęstutis Jankauskas, head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), on July 14.

The Georgian side expressed its deep concern over the illegal placement of signposts by the Russian occupying forces on 10 July marking the so-called border on the territory adjacent to the village of Tsitelubani of Gori municipality and the village of Orchosani in occupied Akhalgori district, near the Tbilisi-Gori central highway.

Minister Beruchashvili underlined that these actions represent provocation towards the Georgian state and mark an intention to isolate South Ossetia, Georgia’s occupied territory. The head of the EUMM during the meeting said that the EU mission continues its intensive patrolling along the administrative boundary line, to prevent any further escalation.

In this regard, the Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that the mission activities are crucially important. She also spoke of the necessity of establishing international security mechanisms on Georgia’s occupied territories. Minister Beruchashvili’s meeting with the head of the EUMM comes after the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) held an extraordinary meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia, on July 13.

The First Deputy Minister and the Deputy Ministers informed the gathered foreign diplomats of the illegal “borderization” and acquainted them with Georgia’s position on the matter. Georgian MFA officials emphasized that the so-called “borderization” process within Georgia’s territory violates the provisions of the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and the fundamental principles of international law.

Significantly, this illegal action means that a certain portion of the Baku-Supsa pipeline falls within the occupied territory.

At the meeting with the diplomatic corps, the Georgian Foreign Ministry once again called upon the international community to condemn the actions of the Russian Federation that violate the principles of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to take effective measures in order to prevent Russia’s illegal activities in the country.

Nino Japarashvili