Residents of Sobisi village finally harvest crops
By Mariam Chanishvili
Friday, August 26
Residents living on the occupation line in village Sobisi in the Gori Municipality are able to harvest crops after negotiations were held with the occupant forces.
On August 24, Russian occupants were harvesting barley crops planted by Georgian family, the Chilindrishvilis.
According to Shalva Chilindrishvili, the Russian soldiers told him that his cropland "is not located on the territory of Georgia". He said that his family has owned the land for years, but earlier this week he was not allowed to harvest his own crops.
After negotiations yesterday, the Chilindrishvili family was able to harvest its crops.
He noted that the half of their crops had already been harvested by the occupants, by the time they were allowed to start harvesting.
The European Union Monitoring Mission members, local officials and police department representatives gathered in the area in order to promote the safe environment for the residents of the village.
A representative of the European Union Monitoring Mission stated that they arrived on the site in order to assess the situation on-site.
The Governor of Gori municipality, Davit Oniashvil,i said that the crops are being harvested against the background of the occupants’ observation.
The Russian troops were located nearby, watching the harvesting process, but the residents were able to harvest in a peaceful environment.
State Minister of Reconciliation and Civil equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili also visited the village. She stated that the response to such provocations is that the state will take care more about the villages at the occupation line.
“Strengthening and developing such regions will be our priority,” she stated.
The situation was the same in the summer of 2015 when, as a result of the installation of wire fences for demarcation, several Georgian villages were deprived of their agricultural lands and fields.
