Condemning Russia’s aggression
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, July 17
US Ambassador to Georgia Jan Kelly visited the village of Karapilla in the Kaspi region near the occupation line with breakaway Tskhinvali last week, where he witnessed a new banner being installed by the occupants.
The Ambassador stressed that such incidents are unacceptable in the 21st century for the civilized world and the United States.
He said the current moves are “artificial”, which divides people and “will not last long”.
Kelly reaffirmed the United States’ support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
When asked about the solution of the problem, the Ambassador named the pragmatic approach that the Georgian side has, more progress at Geneva talks on conflict issues , more conversations and “consistent actions in this direction”.
“The so-called borderization process does not contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict,”EU ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman told journalists in Batumi when commenting on the situation at the occupation line.
"As for the relocation of the occupation line, years ago, when I came here, the situation was almost the same. The so-called borderization process does not contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict. This will be followed by practical consequences: restrictions on freedom of movement. This issue was discussed within the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism. We receive accurate information," said the EU Ambassador.
A group of Georgian citizens gathered near the occupation line separating the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region from the rest of Georgia last week.
Under the slogans ‘No to occupation’ and ‘Russia is an occupier’, they voiced their opposition to Russian military forces’ moving the line further into Georgian territory.
The demonstration, organised by several Georgian journalists and joined by general citizenswas held in the village of Bershueti, where Russian forces moved the border sign and occupied 10 more hectares of Georgian territory.
Georgians residing in Germany also held a demonstration on Friday in protest of the Russian creeping occupation of Georgia.
People gathered at Karlsplatz, a large square in central Munich, with Georgian flags and banners that said "Stop Russia” and "Russia is an occupant”.
Russia recognized the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent states in the wake of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
