134th IPRM Meeting Held in Ergneti

The 134th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held on 8 September 2026 in the village of Ergneti, near the occupation line in Georgia’s Russia‑occupied Tskhinvali region.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Georgian central government and the de‑facto authorities of Tskhinvali/South Ossetia. It was co‑facilitated by Bettina Patricia Boughani, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Christoph Späti, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson‑in‑Office for the South Caucasus.

Georgia’s delegation raised several issues, including illegal detentions, the process of “borderization,” and the need to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi. The Tskhinvali delegation called for the removal of the Chorchana/Tsnelisi police checkpoint and expressed concerns about the well‑being of Tamaz Goloev, a Tskhinvali resident who is currently in custody in Georgia on espionage allegations.

During the meeting, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said that participants discussed “all significant” incidents recorded in the occupied Tskhinvali region and adjacent areas since the previous IPRM meeting. The SSSG also “strictly raised the issue of bringing to justice and ensuring the enforcement of law against the representative(s) of the Russian occupation force responsible for the murder of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi.”

The Georgian side condemned the continued process of borderization and described a “growing trend of fundamental human rights violations” in the occupied Tskhinvali region. It also “strictly demanded the immediate release of all individuals in illegal detention.”

Co‑facilitators from the EUMM and OSCE noted that restrictions on freedom of movement remain in place, but welcomed the more frequent opening of crossing points. They emphasized that greater opportunities for cross‑Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) movement can improve the daily lives, livelihoods and sense of security of conflict‑affected people, and encouraged further steps toward the full reopening of crossing points.

Detention cases were highlighted as an important part of the discussions. The EUMM and OSCE reiterated their concern over continued detentions and called for a humanitarian approach to resolving all existing cases. All participants reaffirmed the key role of the EUMM‑managed Hotline in facilitating the timely exchange of information and contributing to stability along the ABL.

Following the meeting, Igor Kochiev, representing occupied Tskhinvali, told journalists that the issue of the Georgian police post near the village of Chorchana/Tsnelisi was discussed “quite seriously.” He stated that the South Ossetian delegation confirmed that the only possible solution to the issue is the removal of the post and its withdrawal from the territory of the republic.

Kochiev also raised the case of Tamaz Goloev, saying that international organizations had sought access to assess his health and detention conditions but were not permitted to visit him. He added that the de‑facto authorities had recorded no crossings of what they consider the republic’s “state border” by Georgian police since the previous IPRM meeting, with only one minor incident involving the EUMM as an exception.

The next IPRM meeting is scheduled for 22 October 2026.

The 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. Meetings have been held regularly in Ergneti, near the Tskhinvali occupation line, with participation from both Tbilisi and the Tskhinvali de‑facto authorities. Meetings in Gali, in occupied Abkhazia, have been suspended multiple

Article and image source: civil.ge