On Monday evening, the 6th of November, a Georgian citizen was shot dead and another detained by Russian border guards near the South Ossetian border, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced. This is the first deadly incident in the vicinity of South Ossetia border since the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, reports Politico.
“The incident once again confirms the difficult security situation in the region and shows the severe consequences of the occupation,” Garibashvili said in a statement.
❗️?? Russian military killed a Georgian citizen
A man was killed as a result of shooting by the Russian occupation forces near the village of Kirbali in the Gori municipality. Another local resident was kidnapped. This is reported by the Georgian State Security Service.… https://t.co/328kAjacds pic.twitter.com/ulye4ZSoZA
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 6, 2023
Russia unilaterally recognised South Ossetia – where Russian forces have been stationed since the 1990s – and Abkhazia after the 2008 war and has since threatened to annex them, according to Politico.
On Tuesday, the 7th of November, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, condemned the shooting of a Georgian citizen and the detention of another by Russian border guards near Kirbali.
He called for their immediate release.
According to Politico, Georgia, together with Ukraine and Moldova, applied for EU membership in March 2022. However, it was not immediately granted candidate status as it first had to implement a series of reforms.
The European Commission is expected to decide on Georgia’s membership application this week and is likely to grant it candidate status, despite concerns about the government’s pro-Russian leanings and the situation of jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
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