Georgian oppositionists demand to let them in border village of Atotsi

The Georgian party has accused Russian border guards of installing barbed wire near the village of Atotsi, bordering on South Ossetia; and observers and policemen arrived at the venue. Oppositionists staged a protest at the "Shakshaketi" checkpoint, demanding to let them into the village.

In the morning on October 19, Russian militaries began installing barbed wire and fenced off a part of the territory in the vicinity of Atotsi; but the process was suspended by the evening, Zviad Zviadadze, an employee of the office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, said on air of the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Media professionals were not allowed to the border for security reasons; and they observed the process from the "Shakshaketi" checkpoint. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia has treated the actions of Russian military border guards in the vicinity of Atotsi as a provocation, says the broadcaster's website.

On October 20, journalists were allowed to move from the "Shakshaketi" checkpoint towards the border in the village of Atotsi. However, after a few hours, they left the village, and members of the EU observation mission arrived at the border; they began studying the situation.

On the same day, activists of the opposition party staged a protest at the "Shakshaketi" checkpoint, because they could not get into the village. "We aren't allowed into Atotsi," Guram Chalagashvili, one of the leaders of the "Victorious Georgia" Party, stated, as quoted by the "InterPressNews".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the situation on the Georgian-South Ossetian demarcation line aggravated this September, after Georgian militaries erected a block-post near the village of Tsnelis.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 20, 2019 at 06:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.