The agenda of the IPRM has not changed for a long time, and the main issues of the dialogue remain security and the situation in the area of the village of Uista (former Tsnelis), where a few years ago Georgian policemen set up the illegal post in South Ossetia. This was announced by the head of the delegation Yegor Kochiev at the end of the 106th meeting of the IPRM format.
COVID and IPRM
According to Kochiev, in recent years, diplomats, in addition to the main issues, have been discussing the epidemiological situation in the region associated with the coronavirus pandemic. This issue may be removed from the agenda, since the situation in South Ossetia and Georgia has relatively normalized, and the number of patients with coronavirus is decreasing every day.
“It is precisely because of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive measures that have been introduced that media representatives are not allowed to the meeting place - to the area of the border village of Ergnet. I think that the next meeting, scheduled for June 7, will also be held in this format, but journalists may already be allowed to attend subsequent meetings,” he suggested.
The head of the South Ossetian delegation believes that the presence of Georgian journalists at the end of the IPRM meeting is an opportunity to convey the position of South Ossetia to the Georgian citizens.
"If the Georgian police do not want to deal with prevention, then I will take over this work by expressing my point of view through the Georgian mass media," Kochiev explained.
The state border violators
Regarding the issue of violators of the state border, Kochiev has added that the work on the arrangement of the state border line is ongoing, "but so far - unilaterally."
"For the final work on the arrangement of borders, an agreement is needed for the time being on the delimitation of the state border, and then on demarcation. Only after that it is possible to carry out finally all the work. The process of demilitarization and demarcation is bilateral, but Georgia categorically refuses to discuss this issue. Therefore, South Ossetia is arranging the border unilaterally. Finally, these works can be carried out after the conclusion of a document on security guarantees with Georgia," he explained.
According to Kochiev, since the last meeting, the situation in the border zone has been relatively calm, there have been no violations of the state border by the Georgian security services, "although such facts are usually present."
Uista and the ways out
The main issue of the dialogue within the framework of the IPRM remains the issue of security in the region and, as noted by Egor Kochiev, the South Ossetian party at each meeting raises the issue of the situation in the area of. Uista, where a few years ago the Georgian side set up the illegal police post.
The issue is being raised, there is a search for a solution to this problem. The position of South Ossetia remains unchanged – the Georgian police post should be removed, and all armed formations present in the area should be withdrawn. We don't see any other solution," the deputy plenipotentiary believes.
He has stressed that initially South Ossetia offered concrete ways to resolve the crisis, but the Georgian side did not meet them halfway.
"Then this issue could have been resolved and not to return to it anymore. But, the political leadership of Georgia made a different decision – it did not want to solve it promptly. Today the problem lies in a different plane, but we are looking for ways out. I can assure you that the position of South Ossetia remains unchanged on this issue," Kochiev stressed.
As for the position and vision of the Georgian party in resolving the situation in the Tsnelis region, according to the head of the South Ossetian delegation, they "do not voice any specifics."
“Every time they say that ordinary police officers with conventional weapons are in this post, and in general they are kind and good. But one must understand that the Georgian armed policemen are on the territory of South Ossetia, and this is unacceptable. That is exactly why the illegal post should be removed,” he said.
