TSKHINVALI, September 17. /TASS/. South Ossetia has expressed protest with regards to EU observers with a mandate active on Georgian territory for visiting the republic’s border area, representative of the South Ossetian president Murat Jioyev said on Tuesday on the outcomes of the meeting with co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) in Tskhinvali.
Earlier, South Ossetia informed of the construction of an illegal Georgian roadblock near the village of Uista, considered by Tskhinvali South Ossetian territory. In response, South Ossetia installed its own roadblock. There is no official border in this area.
"EU observers (with the mandate active on the territory of Georgia - TASS) are unlawfully visiting the right-bank side of the Tsnelisi settlement (considered South Ossetian territory by Tskhinvali - TASS). They have no mandate on the territory of South Ossetia, so every visit is unlawful. The EU mission has a mandate to work on the territory of Georgia, in the areas bordering Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but not on the territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, he said, adding that such actions of EU observers are seen as a sign of disrespect towards South Ossetian people.
Situation on the South Ossetian border
Earlier, South Ossetia informed of the construction of an illegal Georgian roadblock near the village of Uista. On August 29, at the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting, mediated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union, the South Ossetian delegation demanded the removal of the Georgian roadblock and then walked out on the meeting after Georgia had turned down a compromise.
After that, South Ossetia put up own roadblocks near the village and beefed up presence in the border area. On August 30, a technical meeting of the IPRM was convened to discuss the removal of the Georgian roadblock. South Ossetia’s only demand was to dismantle the checkpoint.
On September 5, it was reported that South Ossetia had reached a height at the border with Georgia and had lifted the republic’s flag at the western section of border.
Tskhinvali underscored the humanitarian nature of its actions. South Ossetian representatives emphasized that "the border checkpoint put up at a strategically important height hinders Georgia’s efforts to take control of some areas in South Ossetia near the village of Uista" and is meant to ensure security of the republic’s citizens there.
At the latest IPRM meeting on September 13, representatives of South Ossetia and Georgia failed to come to an agreement on the border situation, agreeing to carry on the negotiations.