De facto Tskhinvali to allow free movement after a three-year ban – State Security Service

The de facto Government of Georgia’s Russian-controlled Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) said on Thursday to open two crossing points to the rest of Georgia starting August 20, which have been closed since September 2019, the Georgian State Security Service said Friday based on the information provided by the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia. 

In its remarks, the security agency said that two crossing points, Razdakhani and Perevi, would open on the 20th of every month including the last day of the month,until the end of this year. 

“The removal of illegal restrictions on free movement was one of the main topics discussed within the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meetings. The issue was permanently raised by the Central Georgian Government at the meetings of Geneva International Discussions [on Georgia’s conflict issues]”, said the SSS. 

The crossing points were closed by the decision of then de facto President Anatoly Bibilov in September 2019 , in response to the opening of a police post in the village of Chorchana, Khashuri municipality of central Georgia, on the Tbilisi-controlled territory.