TBILISI, September 9 – Representatives of Georgia and de facto South Ossetia discussed detentions at the dividing line at talks in Ergneti on Tuesday, with little common ground.
The meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, or IPRM, was as usual held in the village Ergneti, near Tskhinvali. These are regular field meetings, hosted by the EU and OSCE, to solve practical and humanitarian problems around the breakaway region.
Georgia’s State Security Service said its representatives demanded the release of all Georgian citizens held in detention by Tskhinvali. Irakli Antadze, deputy head of the agency’s analytical department, said international participants backed a humanitarian approach aimed at returning detainees to their families. He said consultations are continuing but no concrete result have yet been achieved.
The Georgian side also raised the issue of “borderization” and restrictions along the dividing line. Antadze said the sides held “diametrically opposed” positions and failed to find common ground.
South Ossetian representative Yegor Kochiev told RES News Agency that five Georgian residents had crossed the boundary line since July 23, in violation of the de facto region’s rules. Three were expelled because their actions were considered unintentional, while two remained under investigation. Kochiev said the two still being investigated were hunters who had wandered into Tskinvali-controlled territory and were detained by a border patrol.
The Georgian delegation also again raised the issue of the murder of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi and demanded accountability, while pointing to Russian forces as being responsible for his death.
Ahead of the meeting, Antadze informed that the Mosabruni crossing point would operate four days a week, while the Kartsmani and Perevi crossings would operate three days a week. He also said Tbilisi would raise the issue of a private citizen who has been unable for nearly a year to return home.
