OSCE Chairperson welcomes exchange of detainees by Tbilisi and Tshkinvali

VILNIUS, 30 December 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, welcomed the exchange of detainees by the authorities in Tbilisi and Tskhinvali today.

The exchange, the largest such swap in recent years, was agreed at the 18th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), which took place in Dvani on 21 December and was co-facilitated by the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia and the OSCE Chairperson’s Special Representative for Protracted Conflicts, Ambassador Giedrius Čekuolis. A total of 26 detainees were included in the exchange.

“Today’s exchange of detainees is an important step towards building trust and helping to ensure freedom of movement. I welcome the constructive and co-operative approach by the authorities that resulted in this exchange. Helping people affected by the conflict to resume their normal lives was a key priority of the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship. Continuing efforts in this direction is of the utmost importance” said Ažubalis.

“This is another example that shows that the meetings under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism are an important tool for resolving issues on the ground. I encourage the participants to make full use of this mechanism with the aim of addressing further challenges which affect the lives and livelihoods of people on both sides of the administrative boundary line.”

The IPRMs were established under the Geneva International Discussions, which are co-chaired by the OSCE, the EU and the UN.