Tbilisi, 24 October 2022 — Today, EUMM Deputy Head of Mission, Dr. Tibor Kozma, hosted Finnish Under-Secretary of State for International Trade, Ms. Nina Vaskunlahti, on a visit to the Odzisi crossing point along the South Ossetian Administrative Boundary Line (ABL).
At the Odzisi crossing point, the Under-Secretary of State and her delegation received a briefing on the security situation in the area, ‘borderisation’ activities as well as on the human rights issues that the conflict-affected populations on both sides of the ABL continued to face since the 2008 war.
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In particular, EUMM staff briefed the delegation on the protracted closure of the Odzisi crossing point for regular cross-ABL traffic, highlighting restrictions of freedom of movement for the conflict-affected population. In this regard, Deputy Head of Mission, Dr. Tibor Kozma, explained that although two crossing points along the ABL with South Ossetia – Odzisi and Karzmani – have been opened between the 20th and 30th of each month since August 2022, it is only a temporary measure that may end in December. Therefore, Deputy Head of Mission Kozma emphasised that both the EUMM and OSCE, as co-facilitators of the Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), continue to advocate for not only temporary, but full re-opening of the crossing points.
Following the visit, the Under-Secretary of State and members of her delegation expressed their appreciation of the visit, briefings and insights, thanking EUMM staff for their work, dedication and contribution to the stability in Georgia and the wider region.
A total of 10 experts of Finnish nationality currently work in the Mission.
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