Ensuring the security of the population along the borders is the important task of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia, the EU co-chair Toivo Klaar noted at the briefing in Tskhinval.
According to him, at today’s meeting with the South Ossetian colleagues, the issues of preparation for the next round in Geneva, as well as the incident in the border area, have been discussed.
“Of course, we have discussed the incident that occurred in the village of Kirbali, where a person was killed. We, as co-chairs, are very concerned about what has happened. We think this was a disproportionate use of force. Together we must think about how to ensure the safety of the population along the borders. This is the important task of the Geneva discussions - to consider the needs and interests of the population,” he said.
Klaar has expressed hope for the fruitfulness of the upcoming negotiations in Geneva, which will discuss how to jointly address such events and avoid their repetition.
According to the co-chairman, it is important not only to talk with the population of the border regions about some rules, but also to keep in mind that the local population has a historical connection with the places of worship and churches.
“We must respect these ties and think together about how to preserve and how to prevent tragedies in order to keep people alive near the borders,” Claar said.
On Tuesday, a meeting of the OSCE, the UN and the European Union co-chairs of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia with their South Ossetian colleagues took place in Tskhinval.
As part of the visit, the co-chairs also intend to visit the head structure of the Tiripon irrigation canal on Tuesday.
