September 30, 2025 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

The 127th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held on September 29 in the village of Ergneti, near the occupation line with Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region. It was co-facilitated by Tibor Kozma, Deputy Head of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), and Christoph Späti, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.

SSSG’s Statement

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said the discussions covered “all important incidents” along the occupation line since the previous IPRM meeting.

The agency said its representatives reiterated their “strong demand” for accountability in the November 2023 killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi, who was shot dead by Russian occupying forces during an attempted illegal arrest near the village of Kirbali, Gori municipality.

The agency also reported raising the issue of the release of all individuals held in illegal detention, condemning the continued “illegal borderization” near the occupation line. It said that humanitarian concerns of the local population were discussed, with “particular attention paid to the issue of freedom of movement.”

The agency did not mention in the statement the most recent September 27 incident, when four or five Georgian minors were briefly detained near the Tskhinvali occupation line. The case was first reported in the media, and the SSSG later confirmed to outlets that the minors had been released and were safe, though it has issued no official statement with details.

EUMM, OSCE Statements

In their joint statement, the co-facilitators said participants reaffirmed their “continued commitment” to the IPRM format, underlining its “crucial role” in addressing security issues and “finding practical solutions” for conflict-affected communities on both sides.

They highlighted the recently “concluded irrigation season and acknowledged the effective cooperation achieved in this area,” and praised “the essential role of the EUMM-managed hotline in ensuring timely and accurate information exchange on water levels and in resolving related challenges.” The co-facilitators reiterated their readiness to support efforts in this area.

The EUMM and OSCE also expressed concerns over the continued practice of detentions and restrictions to freedom of movement, stressing that the “full reopening of all crossing points would significantly improve the daily lives of conflict-affected communities.” The statement added that increased movement across the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) would “strengthen trust and the feeling of security among local communities.”

De Facto Authorities’ Statement

Igor Kochiev, the de facto representative of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, told reporters after the meeting that “several instances” of Georgian drones entering the region’s airspace had been recorded since the last IPRM session, though he described the flights as “non-aggressive.”

Kochiev said the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) overflights are “constantly monitored” and “a hotline is maintained to ensure prompt response to such incidents.” He added that the overall situation along the occupation line “remains calm and predictable.”

Kochiev further said that Tskhinvali de facto authorities “expect the Georgian police post located near the village of Uista to be dismantled soon,” noting that despite the complexity of the issue, “the work is underway.”

“Perhaps this is an internal political struggle in Georgia, but the very fact that the Georgian leadership is raising this issue and admitting that the deployment of the checkpoint was a mistake may inspire certain hopes,” Kochiev said.

The comment follows Georgian Dream’s prosecution of former member Giorgi Gakharia over the 2019 construction of a police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana, when he was interior minister, which the party claims led to the country losing additional territory.