85th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meeting takes place in Ergneti

ERGNETI, 1 March 2018 -The discussions under the 85th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting started in Ergneti on 1 March 2018. 

Erik Høeg, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and James C. O’Shea, representative of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), co-facilitated the meeting. 

Høeg opened the meeting and provided a brief summary of events, including the security situation along the administrative boundary line (ABL) and other important events, which occurred since the last IPRM meeting on 24 January 2018.

All participants expressed condolences to the family of Archil Tatunashvili, who died in custody on 22 February. The co-facilitators called for a transparent investigation and smooth exchange of information regarding the tragic death of Tatunashvili. Close co-operation and full access to the available information was highly encouraged. The co-facilitators urged that the body of the deceased person will be handed over to his family as soon as possible. The situation of the other two persons, who were detained together with Tatunashvili, was discussed. 

Høeg reaffirmed the readiness of the EUMM to support ongoing investigations and to facilitate discussions through the IPRM and the Mission Hotline, and any other format agreed by the participants. 

The participants expressed their appreciation for the continuous exchange of valuable information at the IPRM meetings and agreed that more time is needed to reach sufficient progress on the case of Tatunashvili.

The 85th IPRM meeting was adjourned and will resume on a date to be agreed by the participants.