Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in reaction to the installation of wire fences by the Russian occupation forces along the occupation line of the Tskhinvali region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia expresses its deep concern over the installation of wire fences by the Russian occupation forces across the Tskhinvali region's occupation line, in particular, in the territories of the villages of Ditsi and Dvani, which represents a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international law, primarily of Georgia's territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders, as well as of the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement.

These illegal activities disregard and violate the right of free movement and other civil, social, economic and cultural rights of people residing in the occupied regions and in the adjacent areas. Such a provocative action causes all the more particular concern against the background of the grave security and human rights situation and the absence of international mechanisms in Georgia's occupied regions.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia calls upon the Russian Federation to stop the wire fence installation activities across the occupation lines of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, to comply with the provisions of the 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and with its commitments under international law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is determined to immediately inform the International Organizations and Georgia's foreign partners on the grave situation in Georgia's occupied regions so that they could take due action on the aforementioned illegal activities.Tbilisi, 27 May 2013