Anti Namakhvani HPP protest leader Varlam Goletiani expects the Interior Ministry (MIA) to make a statement about detained protesters after the law enforcers announced the removal of police-erected metal barricades in Gumati village.

According to Goletiani, anti-construction protesters demanded barricades to be dismantled, and police leave the Namakhvani HPP site in Rioni Gorge during the first talks. The protest movement leader said they would participate in the next mediation after MIA’s decision.

“The construction should not resume while negotiations,” he underscored.

Turkish company ENKA, which gained the right to develop, build, own and operate the Namakhvani Hydropower project in 2017, hailed MIA’s decision to remove metal barricades in the valley. The company hopes activists would not impede free movement.

Earlier today, a State Representative in the Imereti region of Georgia, Zviad Shalamberidze, said after the first mediation, the police removed metal barriers in the village to de-escalate the situation. He added that law enforcement officers remain in the Rioni gorge.

The first round of Namakhvani mediation by the European Energy Community Secretariat representative between civil society and the state took place on June 15.

Deputy Director Dirk Buschle, the mediator of the negotiations, said that “peaceful protests and access to the valley must be possible again, while the safety of people and property – on both sides of the fence – needs to be ensured. First and foremost, it is the government’s responsibility to take the appropriate measures. It committed to replacing the existing barriers and ensure access to the main road. It will also report on the detainment of protesters. The protesters, on the other hand, have committed to not blocking access to the construction site. It is important to respect these commitments.”