Russian Information Agency Novosti
October 2, 2013
US, NATO Urge Russia to Dismantle Georgia Border Fences
WASHINGTON: The United States and its allies on Wednesday called on Moscow to dismantle barriers erected by Russian border guards between Georgia and its de-facto independent republic of South Ossetia, saying the so-called “borderization” violates Tbilisi’s sovereignty.
“We note with concern the continued and increasing activities by Russian security forces to erect fences and other physical barriers along the administrative boundary lines of the occupied territories in Georgia,” US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a briefing.
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South Ossetia delegated the protection of its borders to Russia in a 2009 deal, citing the absence of its own border patrol…
The dispute over the two regions has been a sticking point in relations between Russia and Western countries, which criticized Moscow’s decision to recognize the two republics in 2008 after Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over South Ossetia.
Tbilisi accused Russia earlier this year of executing a land grab by erecting fencing between South Ossetia and Georgia, though Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said in June that Moscow was merely acting under the terms of its 2009 deal with South Ossetia.
The issue flared up again in recent weeks when Russian border guards on Sept. 17 began erecting barbed-wire fencing near the border between Georgia and South Ossetia, which Georgian official Zurab Abashidze called a “blatant violation of humanitarian and international norms.”
In a statement nearly identical to the one read by Harf on Wednesday, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the fence-building “does not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
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The NATO chief also called on Russia “to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as independent states.”
The statements from NATO and the State Department came a day after Catherine Ashton, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, called on the barriers to be removed and expressed “profound concern” over “the continued and increasing activities by Russian security forces to erect fences and other obstacles along administrative boundary lines in Georgia.”
“Such activities – which contravene Georgia’s territorial integrity – create significant hardship for residents on either side of the administrative boundary lines and seriously challenge stability and security in these regions,” Ashton said in a statement.
Karasin said in June that South Ossetia and Abkhazia have an unassailable right to take such measures because “any country must move to control its territory and ensure the security of its borders and its citizens.”
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Itar-Tass
October 2, 2013
NATO calls on Russia to reconsider recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
BRUSSELS: NATO believes that the development of the state borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia hampers the settlement of the conflict in Georgia, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement on Wednesday.
The NATO secretary general said “I note with concern the Russian Federation’s continued activity in erecting fences and other obstacles along administrative boundary lines within Georgia” (this is what NATO calls the borders of these two states, as it does not recognize the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and continues to regard them as Georgian provinces).
“This is in contradiction with Russia’s international commitments and does not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. It has a negative impact on the situation on the ground, and it affects the lives of those citizens of Georgia who live on either side of the administrative boundary lines. I call for removal of these barriers,” Rasmussen said.
NATO’s position is very clear. As stated at the Chicago Summit, “NATO supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. We call on Russia to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as independent states,” he said.
In effect, the statement is a complete follow-up of the alliance’s policy towards Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It is unlikely to lead to the slightest changes in the alliance’s position on the situation in the region. Such statements have been regularly issued after Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia in August 2008.
Georgia is not a NATO member. Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili stated in April 2013 that Tbilisi would “make concrete moves to receive the Membership Action Plan for NATO in 2014.”
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