Putin appoints a special representative for demarcation of state borders

By Nika Gamtsemlidze

Monday, January 4

Mikhail Petrakov was appointed to the position of a special representative of Russia’s president

Experts are saying that all of the steps taken by Russia are part of ‘their game’, trying to scare the people of Georgia and the government as well

MFA once again said that Russia should fulfill the 2008 ceasefire agreement

According to the Russian news agency TASS, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has appointed a special representative for the demarcation of the state border of Russia with its neighbors. Mikhail Petrakov was appointed at this position, who will also be appointed as special representative in a delegation to the multilateral talks with the Caspian Sea region.

The document reads that Mikhail Petrakov, a diplomat of the Russian Foreign Ministry, was appointed as a special representative of the President of Russian Federation on the delamination and demarcation of the borders with the Commonwealth of Independent States, (CIS) and also with Georgia, Abkhazia, and so-called South Ossetia.

Mikhail Petrakov was born in 1959 and has been in the diplomatic service since 1982. At various times he served as Director of the First Department of CIS Affairs and Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of South Africa. In September 2019, he was appointed Director of the Situation and Crisis Center at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The total length of the Georgian border is 1970 km. Of this, 1655 km is land, including 723 km with Russia, 164 km with Armenia, 322 km with Azerbaijan, and 252 km with Turkey.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia says that this is another aggressive step taken by the Russian federation towards full annexation of the occupied regions of Georgia. MFA once again said that Russia should fulfill the 2008 ceasefire agreement and take back the steps that it has taken in the previous years. The press speaker of the MFA of Georgia, Mariam Narchemashvili said that as long as Russia occupies Georgian territories, there will not be a chance of talking about the demarcation of the border.

Experts are saying that all of the steps taken by Russia are part of ‘their game’, trying to scare the people of Georgia and the government as well.

Georgia and many other members of the international community including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, the EU, OSCE, and the UN have recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied territories and have condemned the Russian military’s presence and actions there.

The Russia-Georgia War was fought between Georgia, Russia, and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of so-called South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The war took place in August of 2008 following a period of worsening relations between the two countries.