106th Incident Prevention And Response Mechanism Meeting Takes Place In Ergneti
By Emmanuel Oluebube, Senior Correspondent UK
The 106th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti, under the co-facilitation of Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Viorel Moşanu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.
The EUMM and OSCE representatives commended the commitment of the participants to the IPRM and stressed the importance of continuing the effective use of the EUMM-managed hotline, in particular with a view to the upcoming Easter period. Ambassador Szczygieł called for a humanitarian approach to be applied during these days and asked that special attention be given to the rights of the local population, including access to religious sites and graveyards. Ambassador Moşanu encouraged all participants to find solutions to decrease the challenges faced by the conflict-affected population and emphasized the value of dialogue and pragmatism.
During the meeting, participants discussed the impact that the protracted closure of crossing points at the administrative boundary line (ABL) continues to have on conflict-affected communities. In this regard, the co-facilitators, who stressed that the Odzisi crossing point has been closed to regular cross-ABL traffic for over two and a half years, reiterated their call for a re-opening. Moreover, the co-facilitators voiced their concern about the high number of active detention cases and urged for a humanitarian approach towards their resolution.
Discussions in the IPRM also focused on the most recent security developments at the ABL, including instances of ‘borderization’, as well as the issue of Chorchana-Tsnelisi. All participants agreed that the upcoming agricultural season necessitates increased dialogue in the IPRM format and over the EUMM-operated hotline. In this regard, the participants also agreed to hold a technical meeting on irrigation issues in the end of April.
The participants agreed to convene the next regular meeting on June 7.
