Georgia issues protest to Russia over situation in Ossetia conflict zone
By Sabina Idayatova
Georgia has sent a protest note to Russia through the Embassy of Switzerland over the installation of wire fences by Russian troops in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze told journalists after meeting the head of the EU mission in Georgia Philip Dimitrov on May 28.
Panjikidze briefed the EU diplomat about the situation in the region.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on May 27 that Russian border guards stretched barbed wire near the village of Ditsi in the Gori district and Dvani village in the Kareli district, which borders on the Tskhinvali region of Georgia. The Foreign Ministry expressed its deep concern over these actions, saying they amount to a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international law, primarily of Georgia's territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders, as well as of the August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement.
Furthermore, the statement noted that these illegal activities disregard and violate the right of free movement and other civil, social, economic and cultural rights of the people residing in the occupied regions and in the adjacent areas.
The ministry calls on Russia to stop the wire fence installation activities across the occupation lines of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, to comply with the clauses of the 2008 ceasefire accord and with its commitments under international law.
According to the statement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry is determined to immediately inform international organizations and Georgia's foreign partners about the grave situation in the occupied regions so that they would take due action on the mentioned illegal activities.
"At this stage we can take only diplomatic steps," Panjikidze said. "The current meeting was among them, aimed at mobilizing international support."
Dimitrov in turn said that the EU observation mission has sent its monitors to the conflict zone, and they will clarify all the relevant data. "But the question is not as to how many meters the Russian border guards have moved forward, it is a matter of principle," he said.