Russians building new road near South Ossetia boundary line

(Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Russians are constructing a new road near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia, at the village Jariasheni.

The State Security Service Sunday informed that the construction work is not crossing into Georgian-controlled territory. It also informed that the construction work is carried out by the ‘occupation forces’. The service is monitoring the situation at the ABL.

The construction of a new road was launched a few days ago. Locals in the village told Rustavi 2 that the road runs through their pasture lands, which they have been unable to use for several years already.

Davit Zalkaliani, Deputy Foreign Minister, said that Tbilisi has informed international missions in Georgia about this issue and they plan to raise the issue at the upcoming Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms meeting on March 15 in Ergneti, another village at the ABL.

Zalkaliani said the ministry has informed the co-hosts of the Geneva talks, the EU, UN and OSCE representatives. He added that the EU Monitoring Mission including its head arrived on the location to see what is happening there.

Georgia will raise this issue at the next round of the Geneva talks in the end of March.

“It is important for us to inform the international community and consolidate their position to avoid an escalation – further installation of barbed wires and moving the border on Georgia-controlled territory.”