The 98th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRMs) Meeting was held in the village of Ergneti after 5 months from the previous round.

The EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), which co-facilitates IPRMs meetings, released a statement:

“The 98th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Annika Söder, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ergneti IPRM was accompanied by all necessary precautionary health measures.

The new co-facilitator of the IPRM, Ambassador Söder, opened the meeting by expressing her gratitude for the warm welcome she has received from the participants, and wished everyone a productive discussion. The two co-facilitators then commended the commitment of the participants in the IPRM and praised the effective use of the EUMM-managed Hotline for raising and addressing issues of concern.

Further, the co-facilitators reiterated their serious worries regarding the deepening socio-economic hardships of the conflict-affected population, which stem from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the crossing points along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL). The co-facilitators called upon all the participants to respond positively to the humanitarian and security needs of the vulnerable communities, in particular women, elderly and children.

The discussions in the IPRM were conducted in a constructive atmosphere, allowing the participants to discuss issues pertaining to stabilisation and normalisation, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, “borderisation” processes along the ABL, and the security situation in the Chorchana-Tsnelisi area. Pertinent detention cases and other humanitarian issues featured prominently throughout the discussion.

All participants agreed to continue their dialogue through regular IPRM meetings and the EUMM-managed Hotline.

The participants agreed to plan for a subsequent meeting on 23 April 2021”, - reads the statement.