Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia regarding the incident near the Akhalgori District

On November 23, 2008, Russian occupiers opened fire at the motorcade of the Presidents of Georgia and Poland from the illegal checkpoint located inside the occupied region of Akhalgori. Fortunately, nobody was injured as a result of the incident.

After having visited the newly built shelters for the IDPs in Metekhi, Georgian and Polish Presidents decided to see how the implementation of the six-point cease-fire agreement was taking place. For this purpose they visited Odzisi (territory outside of the administrative border of the Tskhinvali Region, currently controlled by the central authorities of Georgia), near the occupied region of Akhalgori. As is known, Akhalgori Region had never been under the control of the Tskhinvali regime until the August invasion of Russia, and was occupied by the Russian forces after the cease-fire agreement had been negotiated.

It is becoming absolutely evident that as long as the Russian Federation does not comply with the six-point cease-fire agreement, peace and security of Georgia and the whole region will be jeopardized. Russia has to fulfill the agreement brokered by the EU Presidency fully, which means that the status quo ante, existing on August 6 has to be restored.

This incident, together with a number of other incidents that have taken place during last three months and sacrificed lives of ten people, also demonstrates that immediate access of the EU and OSCE monitors to the occupied territories and subsequent introduction of the international police and peacekeeping forces in the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia and Abkhazia, Georgia is absolutely necessary to prevent further escalation of situation and deterioration of the security environment.

November 23, 2008