May 15, 2026 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

A Polish citizen wanted under an Interpol Red Notice has been arrested in Batumi, in Georgia’s western Adjara region, the Interior Ministry said on May 15.

“The detainee was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice for fraud, based on a request from the law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Poland,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that extradition procedures for the detainee are currently underway.

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The 132nd meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place on May 14 in the village of Ergneti, near the occupation line in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.

The meeting was co-facilitated by Christoph Späti, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, and Bettina Patricia Boughani, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM).

The next IPRM meeting has been scheduled to take place on July 23, 2026, followed by another IPRM meeting on September 8, 2026.

SSSG Statement

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

Similar to the previous meetings, SSSG representatives “once again made a strong demand for the enforcement of justice against the Russian occupation forces’ representative(s) responsible for the killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi.”

The SSSG said that the “immediate release” of all individuals held in unlawful detention was also “strongly demanded,” while the “dangerous practice” of so-called “borderization” was again “strongly condemned.”

“It was also emphasized that there is a trend of violations of fundamental human rights in the occupied Tskhinvali region, and a strong demand was made for the restoration of the violated rights of victims affected by this destructive practice,” the SSSG said.

According to the agency, discussions also focused on restrictions on freedom of movement across the occupation line. “An extensive discussion was held regarding the movement regime at the so-called crossing points,” the SSSG added.

EUMM, OSCE Statements

According to a press release, the co-facilitators “welcomed the consistent engagement of all participants in the IPRM format” and “reiterated the importance of maintaining regular dialogue to address security and humanitarian concerns affecting conflict-affected communities.”

They also “commended the temporary opening of crossing points along the South Ossetian administrative boundary line (ABL) during the Orthodox Easter period in April, which took place without any incidents,” which “enabled local communities to visit relatives, attend religious services, and access cemeteries on both sides of the ABL.”

“The co-facilitators also encouraged a similar practice for the upcoming Lomisoba festivities on June 3,” the press release said, adding that they further “reiterated calls for the full reopening of crossing points,” stressing that such a step would “contribute to improving the daily lives, safety and livelihoods of women, men and children affected by conflict.”

According to the press release, participants also discussed irrigation-related issues and ways to optimize water availability throughout the irrigation season.

Security developments along the occupation line and challenges faced by conflict-affected communities were also discussed during the meeting. The press release said that “participants continued to discuss several individual freedom of movement cases as well as cases of detentions of individuals residing along the ABL,” adding, “The EUMM and OSCE called on participants to discontinue the practice of detentions and urged a humanitarian approach towards the resolution of all existing detention cases.”

De Facto Authority’s Statement

Igor Kochiev, representing the de facto authorities in the occupied Tskhinvali region, said the meeting focused on “security and humanitarian issues” and added that “the past period was characterized by a relatively low level of violations” on the occupation line.

According to Kochiev, three incidents had been recorded, specifically “one by Georgian citizens, one by a Georgian police officer, and one by a patrol of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM).” He said the de facto authorities demanded clarification on each case but added that “neither the Georgian police nor the EUMM representatives were willing to admit their guilt in violating the border,” calling such actions “unacceptable.”

During the meeting, Kochiev additionally raised the case of Tamaz Goloev, an Akhalgori resident identified as the man detained in Tbilisi on espionage charges. “From the very moment of his arrest, we have insisted on Tamaz Goloev’s immediate release and his return to his homeland,” Kochiev said, describing the charges against him as “trumped-up.”

The May 14 meeting in Ergneti came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alan Gagloev, the de facto leader of the Tskhinvali region, signed a “Treaty on Deepening Allied Cooperation,” which has been ratified in Moscow and is expected to be ratified in Tskhinvali as well.

Opposition groups have criticized Tbilisi for remaining silent. Georgia’s former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s opposition For Georgia party said the process aimed at the annexation of the Tskhinvali region by Russia has entered an “active and extremely dangerous phase” following the Russian State Duma’s ratification of an “agreement.” The party accused Georgian Dream of “criminal silence and inaction” over developments related to the occupation, including discussions within the IPRM and Geneva International Discussions formats, and called on authorities to “mobilize international partners and relevant formats” to prevent annexation of the occupied region.

The Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was established in 2009 within the framework of the Geneva International Discussions that followed the 2008 Russo-Georgian war. It serves as a forum for the regular discussion of security-related incidents and developments on the ground. IPRM meetings have been held regularly in Ergneti, near the Tskhinvali occupation line, with the participation of representatives from Tbilisi and the Tskhinvali de facto authorities. In contrast, meetings in Gali, in occupied Abkhazia, have been suspended multiple times, from 2012 to 2016, and again since 2018. The meetings are co-facilitated by the OSCE and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM).

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