Locals demand to meet with representatives of Georgian government, borderisation resumes
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Tuesday, August 20
Occupation forces resumed the illegal installation of barbed wire fences in the village of Gugutiantkari, near so-called South Ossetia. Russian forces appeared near the village on August 7th and started installing metal poles, after which they started installing wire fences. The issue has been discussed by international corps, representatives of the Georgian government and Georgian civilians for the last few days.
Many people arrived at the scene to talk with the locals and offer their help. People living near the border are asking to meet with the leaders of the government, but neither President nor Prime Minister has visited Gugutiantkari so far.
The reporters of Rustavi 2 have met with the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili near her house and reminded her that she did not make any statements regarding Gugutiantkari. As President said, she is well aware of everything that is happening near the occupation line, and noted that “the statement should be serious and not made in the streets.”
According to Zourabichvili, the government is working hard on this problem and she is also involved in the process.
Several representatives of opposition parties have accused the government of not doing enough and said that if the government “won’t put more pressure on Russia, nothing will change.”
As the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Archil Talakvadze responded, part of the opposition, with their “provocative actions”, is supporting Russian occupation and this serves to the strengthening of the Russian position.
According to him, these forces want a war between Russia and Georgia, they want destabilization and are willing to worsen the situation in the country, “to pursue their narrow party interests.”
“Part of the opposition is acting shamefully, they are busy throwing mud at their own country and their government; instead of standing with their government, their people and interests of their own country, so we can all stand together against occupation, with freedom, development and with the help of international diplomacy, and to ensure the freedom and peace of our nation, so that we give our country a chance to gain territorial integrity in the future,” said Talakvadze.
According to him, the government has a pragmatic and responsible development policy so that the country can continue to develop without a war. He also noted that the government will not allow “provocative plans” to be implemented.
The Georgian Foreign Minister, David Zalkaliani, held a phone call with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Miroslav Lajcak, to discuss the issue of continuing the illegal installation of barbed wire fences in the village of Gugutiantkari.
Zalkaliani provided detailed information to Lajcak about the ongoing process on the occupation line and also informed him about the illegal kidnapping of 8 Georgian citizens. Zalkaliani also asked the Chairperson-in-Office to use every international lever so that the illegal kidnappings and installation of barbed wire fences stop.
Miroslav Lajack once again stressed that he supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and noted that it is important to ensure the security of the people living near the occupation line.
According to Markéta Gregorova, member of the European Parliament, who talked with reporters near the occupation line, Russia is trying to check how far they can go without a strict response. According to her, the EU must make a strong statement in this regard.
Creeping Occupation has been a severe problem for Georgia for a long time now and does not seem to stop any time soon. After the occupation forces started installing barbed wire fences, several ambassadors and representatives of more than 20 embassies arrived in Gugutiantkari and met with the locals to talk about their problems.
