EU Monitoring Mission considers the placement of so-called ‘Green Sign’ unwarranted

The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia has released a statement in connection with the recent illegal borderisation activity and alleged installation of a so-called ‘Green Sign’ in the vicinity of the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) in the Tskhinvali region.

As Georgian mass media reported on 3 July, Russian troops moved the border line 10 meters further into the territory controlled by Georgia. The border sign, the so-called ‘Green Sign’ (also referred to as Green Banner), was installed in Bershuti village, Gori municipality (Georgian controlled area). The result is that about 10 ha. of land now falls under Russian control.

The EUMM studied the situation on the ground. It has confirmed that the so-called borderisation activities took place in the Gduleti area in June, but hasn’t been able to confirm the installation of new ‘Green Signs’ during the past week.

“According to EUMM’s own observations in the area, several ‘Green Signs’ were installed in the vicinity of Bershueti (Gduleti) on 19 June 2017, very close to the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) in an area which is not under control of the Georgian government (Tbilisi Administered Territory),” the EUMM’s statement reads.

As is pointed out in the statement, the placement of ‘Green Signs’ is unwarranted, since borderisation activities in any form, including placing of such signs, create obstacles to the freedom of movement and hinder farmers, who have been farming there for years, from cultivating their land.

This issue may be discussed at the next meeting as part of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), scheduled for 11 July in Ergneti.

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