Foreign Ministry states Armenians didn’t move border
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, July 21
Press Speaker of Georgia’s Foreign Ministry Davit Kereselidze dismissed rumours that Armenians moved the border and took 10 hectares of Georgian land.
Kereselidze states that Georgia has the only fixed border with Turkey while with some other neighboring states the border lines still need to be specified since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“A special commission working on the border delimitation-demarcation was established and it continually works on the issues.
“A certain part of the border section with Armenia has already been delimitated and Armenian border guards have been dislocated there. It was an agreed and legal action,” Keresidze says, noting that the spread information over the 10 hectares was not true and the case is only about several meters.
Georgian media outlets spread the information a couple of days ago, and claimed that Armenians adjusted the border and claimed 10 hectares.
The locals said that several years ago the border was quite far away, whereas now it is across from their houses.
They said that such actions used to take place all the time, but the latest occasion was more large-scaled.
Locals stated that the changing of borders has always occurred on the expense of the Georgian territories.
The Georgian government should develop an action plan to complete the process of delimitation of borders, the new Border Management Strategy for 2014-2018 approved by the government reads.
"The completion of demarcation and delimitation of the state border between Georgia and neighboring states is of great importance , since the delay in this process has a negative impact not only on the management of the state border , but also on the political, economic and social stability of the country and the region as a whole," the strategy reads.
The document noted that in order to complete the demarcation and delimitation of the Georgian borders with Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan, for compliance with the fundamental interests of the state, the Georgian government should take effective measures for full implementation of border policy for the continuation of the process of demarcation and delimitation.
"The process of demarcation and delimitation of the Russian -Georgian border will continue after the de-occupation of Georgian territories," the strategy further said.
Furthermore, the document suggests the development of a new agreement on the border regime with Turkey.
Georgia agreed on 71 percent of the border with Azerbaijan and 66 percent with Armenia so far. As for Russia, 36 per cent of the common border was agreed with this country. However, after Russia`s recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali regions the agreement was cancelled.
This way or other Georgian state should take more responsible moves and protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity more carefully.
