Border Service of the State Security Committee (KGB) of South Ossetia for the nine-year period has done much to improve the protection of the state border of the Republic, said at the briefing in Tskhinval Deputy Chairman - Head of the Border Service of the KGB of South Ossetia, General Sergei Kolbin.
He has reminded that on February 3 the Border Service marked the ninth anniversary of the formation under the KGB.
"During this period, especially in recent years, much has been done on ways to improve the protection of the state border, to strengthen the normative legal provision. This applies to the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement with the Russian Federation on joint efforts to protect the state border of South Ossetia, and legal acts of the Government regulating the maintenance of border regime in the border areas, "- said the head of the Border Service.
Speaking about the situation at the state border with Georgia, Kolbin has reported that, despite a lull and the decline in activity of the Georgian authorities around the activities of construction of the boundary line, the number of offenders is not yet reduced.
"In January 2013 for violation of the state border were detained 21 people, and in January 2014- 31, "- said Kolbin.
One of the issues that cause the most severe discussion around the activities for the protection of the state border, the head of the Border Service called the engineering support of the border line.
"To date at the state border are built about 60 kilometers artificial obstacles that are primarily informative. In addition, their construction is justified in terms of prevention of unintentional violation of the state border - where they have been erected, is marked reduction in the number of violations, is practically excluded pasture,"- said Kolbin.
This work, according to him, is being carried out by Russian colleagues; the Border Service provides them methodological and legal assistance.
During the briefing the head of the Border Sewrvice has reminded that on February 7 will open the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. In this regard, in South Ossetia will be a set of activities to prevent possible incidents that threaten the security of participants of the Olympiad.
"For the whole period of preparation for the Olympic Games there was a lot of speculation about whether Russia would be able to ensure the safety of these games. Has been done tremendous work to address these challenges, and they are solved. We, for our part, have been taking measures aimed to take control of the possible negative development of the situation, "- said Kolbin.
First of all, according to him, this concerns the toughening of the regime of crossing the state border with the Russian Federation.
"We have quite a difficult international situation - legal right to cross the state border have citizens of those countries that have recognized our independence. These rules do not apply to the Commonwealth of Independent States, whose citizens come to our country for construction works," - said the head of the Border Service.
These citizens can be divided into two categories - those who come on the invitation of building companies and individuals arriving on private invitation.
"The first category causes less concern, as they are under the control of building companies that accommodate them and provide work. As for citizens who arrive on individual invitation - here the situation is more complicated. Having received an entry permit registration at the Migration service, they, in addition to private works, find other work, moving from one employer to another. There is a problem to control them. In this regard, it was decided this category of foreign citizens to be denied entry into the territory of South Ossetia during the Olympics, "- said Kolbin.
Such a measure promotes to increase the effectiveness of the state border protection and though it is introduced on the eve of the Olympic Games in Sochi, the work in this direction will be continued after their completion.
The Head of the Border Service has also noted that on the South Ossetian-Georgian border tightening of the border regime will be expressed in a more thorough inspection of goods, transported by citizens of South Ossetia eligible for simplified crossing of the state border with Georgia. They are residents of a number of border settlements in Leningor and Tskhinval districts of the Republic, inhabited mainly by ethnic Georgians.
Kolbin has stressed that it is hardly probable for Georgian special services to carry out any provocations aimed at disrupting the Olympic Games.
"Georgia announced its participation in the Olympic Games in Sochi, so there is no reason to speak of preparing terrorist attacks and any other similar provocations, " - said Kolbin.
He has also noted that since June 2014, the salary of the Border Service staff will be increased one and a half times. This will be quite a significant contribution to their family budget and substantial motivation for a more responsible approach to duty performance", - concluded the head of the Border Service.
