EU mission condemns detention of its observers on Georgian-South Ossetian border

On October 24, a patrol of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) was detained for some time by agents of the KGB of South Ossetia on a disputable section of the border with Georgia. The European External Action Service (EEAS) called the situation a "serious incident" and stated it would achieve diplomatic response.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the situation on the demarcation line between Georgia and South Ossetia escalated in September, when the Georgian troops erected a checkpoint in the vicinity of the Tsnelis village. In response, a South-Ossetian checkpoint arose in a distance of less than two kilometers from the new Georgian checkpoint.

The EUMM released a statement noting that in the afternoon on October 24, its unarmed observers were detained for some time by South-Ossetian security agents on the demarcation line. The EUMM patrol was detained on the territory controlled by the Georgian side, the EUMM emphasizes in its statement.

Jean-Christophe Belliard, Deputy Secretary-General at the European External Action Service, described the case as a "serious incident." "The EUMM facilitates to maintain peace, and the fact that the mission has to cope with such challenges poses a serious problem," said Jean-Christophe Belliard as quoted today on the website of the Georgian "First Channel" TV Channel.

The problem will be considered, including in Moscow, Jean-Christophe Belliard has noted. "We hope that the issue will be resolved peacefully and diplomatic response will be achieved," the Georgian "First Channel" TV Channel quoted the EU official as saying.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 25, 2019 at 05:27 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.