The 112th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti today under the co-facilitation of the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), Dimitrios Karabalis, and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Viorel Moşanu.

According to the EUMM, IPRM participants discussed the challenges of conflict-affected communities, including freedom of movement, as well as recent security incidents.

“Regarding the recent attempted detention incident near the village of Chvrinisi, the co-facilitators strongly emphasised that any use of violence is unacceptable and can lead to an unpredictable escalation of the conflict. They facilitated the exchange of information concerning the incident. The EUMM will continue to patrol in the area. The co-facilitators also re-emphasised the importance of the EUMM-managed Hotline to address security concerns and defuse tensions, to which the participants agreed. The situation in Chorchana-Tsnelisi was discussed extensively,” the statement reads.

The EUMM and OSCE co-facilitators also voiced their concern about the practice of detention. They advocated for the release of the detainees, particularly those whose health is at stake.

Irakli Antadze, Deputy Head of the Information-Analytical Department of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), said that “Today’s meeting was very long with tense discussions.”

“The main issue for us is the release of our illegally detained citizens. The Chvrinisi event received a very severe evaluation, and we emphasized the need of holding the culprits accountable,”  Antadze asserted.

The next IPRM is scheduled tentatively for 3 July 2023.