On 13 October, the Head of Field Office Gori Ms. Mihaela Gherasim, on behalf of the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) Mr. Erik Høeg, welcomed Mr. George Kent Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe and Caucasus to Gori Field Office.
Ms. Gherasim, supported by colleagues from the Mission Headquarters in Tbilisi, gave a general overview of the present mandate, operations and activities of the Field Office and the EUMM in general to include the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meetings and the EUMM Managed Hotline. Challenges which the Mission might come across while implementing its mandate were also deliberated, including the importance of the EUMM presence as a stabilizing factor.
Shortly afterwards Mr. Kent participated in a patrol close to the Administrative Boundary Line with South Ossetia where he was able to see borderisation features first hand.
Mr. Kent expressed his appreciation for the patrol and presentation about the current situation in the area. He also expressed his gratitude to the EUMM for its essential contribution to regional security and stability.
US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, Mr. George Kent, and the delegation pose with EUMM staff prior to departing for a patrol
The quests listen to the briefing on "borderisation" features during the patrol
Patrolling continues in Qvemo Nikozi
Head of Field Office Gori, Ms. Mihaela Gherasim, briefs Mr. Kent on “borderisation” issues