84th IPRM Meeting Takes Place in Ergneti

The 84th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism was held in Ergneti on January 24.

The recent developments that took place in Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia (Tskhinvali) region,the  occupation line and its vicinities in the period of 19 December, 2017 – 24 January, 2018 were discussed at the meeting.

Ambassador Guenther Baechler, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus and Erik Høeg, Acting Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), co-facilitated the proceedings.

The general security situation, Hotline activation and detention cases at the so-called Administrative Border, were the key issues of the meeting.

The State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia says the Georgian side raised the issue of Georgian citizen David Basharulis’ case, who in 2014 went missing in occupied Akhalgori, and was later found dead.

Representatives of Georgia also discussed the problems caused by the so-called “borderization” process, and the security of local people.

Participants expressed concern over the use of any firearms in the vicinity of the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL), and underlined the importance of using the Hotline in instances where civilians are observed carrying firearms close to the ABL. 

The next IPRM meeting will take place on March 1, 2018.

The Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism was created in February 2009, as a result of the Geneva discussions that followed the 2008 conflict in Georgia. The meetings are an opportunity to identify potential risks and problems facing the local community, follow up on incidents, and exchange information.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: EUMM