Occupation forces resume installation of barbed wire fences
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, August 15
The occupation forces have resumed the installation of barbed wire fences on August 14, in the village of Gugutiantkari, in Gori municipality. The information was confirmed by the State Security Service.
“This is another illegal and extremely destructive act. This issue will be raised at the meeting of Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism by the central government in Ergneti,” the state security service said. According to them, a hotline has been set up, and the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) has been informed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (MFA) has released a statement on the continuation of the illegal process of erection of artificial barriers in Gori Municipality. The ministry expressed its concerns regarding the erecting artificial barriers by the Russian occupation forces in the vicinity of the village of Gugutiantkari.
“Such destructive steps are extremely detrimental to the already dire humanitarian situation of the population near the occupation line and further destabilize the security environment,” read the statement.
The Georgian side, as announced by the ministry continues to work intensively with the international community, the Co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions, the EUMM, and the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Tbilisi to take effective measures to halt this illegal process.
The Georgian side emphasized the need for a proper assessment of the ongoing process from the international community. The MFA calls on them to take appropriate and effective measures regarding the ongoing illegal activities on the occupation line.
MFA also accentuated on the Russian Federation’s obligations to fulfill its commitments including the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, and to stop illegal actions against Georgia.
The work in the mentioned village first began on August 7, when occupation forces installed posts for the further installation of barbed wires and stopped afterward. Representatives of the occupation forces have placed the beams for the so-called border near one of the houses in Gugutiantkari on August 7 and a few days later erected a fence.
The house, which was partially destroyed during the August 2008 war, belongs to the Gugutishvili family. Currently, no one lives at home. Due to putting up the illegal border, parts of the locals' lands are on the occupied territory.
The MFA explained that as soon as the information was received, the ministry had leveraged all its resources. According to them, the hotline under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms was launched immediately. The case involved representatives of the international community, including the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions.
The occupation forces' actions coincided with the eleventh anniversary of the August war.
Installation of barbed wire fences and the process of so-called creeping occupation by Russian occupation forces started in 2011. Barbed wires in the village of Khurvaleti are only 400 meters away from the East-West Highway, which runs across Georgia.
