State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, assesses the illegal detention of EUMM monitors by the occupants as a provocative act, saying that observers have a mandate to work on both sides of the occupation line:

"This is a very provocative act. The EU Monitoring Mission has been deployed since October 2008 and it has been mandated to operate on both sides of the occupation line. Therefore, their deterrence, interference in their work and, moreover, making statements about it is uniquely provocative", - said Tsikhelashvili.

The de-facto security forces detained EUMM patrol in the Chorchana-Tsnelisi area. According to a statement released by the mission, on the afternoon of 24 October, a patrol of the EU Monitoring Mission was briefly held by armed South Ossetian security actors, while conducting a patrol in the Chorchana-Tsnelisi area.