Jean-Christophe Belliard, the Deputy Secretary-General at the European External Action Service, joined European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) patrol to Gugutiantkari village of Gori Municipality, at the edge of Russia-occupied Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia on September 8, to observe the process of “borderisation”.
Russian occupation forces started construction of new iron fences in the village of Gugutiantkari of the Gori Municipality, near the occupation line with Tskhinvali Region on the eleventh anniversary of the Russo-Georgia war on August 7.
The European Union Delegation to Georgia in agreement with EU Heads of Mission stated on August 20 that “the erection of fences” by the Moscow-backed officials of Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia in the vicinity of Gugutiantkari village “hinders freedom of movement and will deprive people from the local area from accessing orchards and water resources.”
Erik Høeg, head of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia noted in his tweet that the Deputy Secretary General was briefed today on the situation in Chorchana-Tsnelisi area. Høeg added that Jean-Christophe Belliard was updated on the use of hotline and Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) mechanisms to “urge parties for maximum restraint and to de-escalate situation.”
Earlier on September 6, in its statement delivered at the OSCE Permanent Council Meeting, the European Union reiterated the its firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and called on Russia to fulfill its obligations under August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement. The EU statement reads that recent developments along the dividing line “have negatively affected the overall security situation.
The statement also reads the European Union is “actively engaged with the recent highly concerning occurences in the Gugutiantkari and Chorchana/Tsnelisi areas. The EU also called for the EUMM access on the whole territory of Georgia, including Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.”