Meeting with Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussion at MFA
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Wednesday, November 20
The meeting of the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Co-Chairs of the Geneva Discussions were held in Tbilisi on November 18. The meeting was held to prepare for the 50th round of the Geneva Discussion. On November 19, representatives of the European Union, OSCE and UN are to hold meetings in occupied Tskhinvali.
According to the MFA, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia spoke to the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussion about the death of Margo Martiashvili, a resident of the occupied Akhalgori district, and said that another resident of Akhalgori, Tamar Gigauri, was not given the opportunity to cross the occupation line and receive medical care in the clinics located on the territory controlled by the central government of Georgia.
According to Lasha Darsalia, the closure of the crossing points on the so-called occupation line leaves the population of the occupied Tskhinvali region in complete isolation, endangering human lives.
According to the MFA, the Georgian side once again raised the issue of illegal and destructive actions of the occupation forces, illegal detention and abduction of civilians near the village of Chorchana and erection of barbed wires.
The Georgian government's position is that Russia and its occupation regimes continue to manipulate human rights and politicize humanitarian issues. For their part, the Co-Chairs expressed concern over the complexity of the situation on the ground and stressed the need to address the situation.
Representatives of the Georgian delegation focused on the steps taken by Russia towards the actual annexation of the occupied territories of Georgia, illegal militarization and military exercises in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. The focus was on the targeted discrimination of ethnic Georgians in the occupied territories and the prohibition of education in their native language.
According to the MFA, the importance of justice in the cases of the murder of Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria and David Basharuli was particularly emphasized. It was emphasized that it is necessary to cover the case of the death of Georgian citizen Irakli Kvaratskhelia on the Russian military base in occupied Abkhazia in a timely manner.
Darsalia has also asked the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions from the European Union, the OSCE and the UN to take all measures to immediately release Vazha Gaprindashvili, a doctor illegally detained by the occupation forces.
Representatives of the occupation forces detained Tbilisi physician-traumatologist Vazha Gaprindashvili on November 9 near Akhalgori district. Vazha Gaprindashvili was sentenced to 2 months pre-trial detention for deliberate violation of the border, which is considered a criminal offense under de facto legislation.
On November 19, the de facto security committee of the Tskhinvali region, occupied by Russia, issued another statement on the detention of doctor Gaprindashvili. The statement underlines that, according to the available data, "Vazha Gaprindashvili is a Captain of the Georgian Armed Forces Medical Service and actively participated in the August 2008 events as a military doctor."
According to the same statement, 40 border violators have been detained since the beginning of November. The de facto security committee links the "frequent incidents of state border breach" to the Georgian police checkpoint near the village of Tsneli, calling it "one of the elements of a hybrid operation aimed at the notion of destroying the state border of the Republic of South Ossetia and revising the main political results of August 2008".
"Set of reasons, the South Ossetian response Gaprindashvili and his curator's provocative actions lies solely on the legal plane, aimed at relapse and escalation of tensions in order to prevent and South Ossetia's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity protection", - said the Tskhinvali de-facto security The committee's statement.
Doctor Gaprindashvili’s family categorically denies the aforementioned information calling it false. The doctor's wife, Tamila Lapanashvili says that during the August 2008 war Vazha Gaprindashvili had not left Ghudushauri's clinic for a week, as confirmed by other doctors and hospital records. According to her, due to a large number of patients, Gaprindashvili could not even get home for a while. During the August 2008 war, Ghudushauri's clinic also operated under an emergency regime.
Georgian state structures and international organizations are working to release the doctor from Tskhinvali prison. This issue is also on the agenda of the November 19 meeting in Tskhinvali, with the Co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions and the de facto authorities.
The 50th round of the Geneva International Discussion is scheduled for December 10-11.
