Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti
After the murder at the Georgian-Azerbaijan border the experts blamed the government of Georgia in the poor protection of the borders once more. The former head of the border police Badri Bitsadze said the Georgian-Azerbaijan border is not controlled in fact. Russia moved the Georgian-Dagestan border-line at three kilometers in the area of Diklo Mountain in Tusheti region; consequently, Russia misappropriated 24 sq. kilometers of Georgian territory.
The murder happened on April 13 in the village of Erisimedi in Sighnaghi district close to the Georgian-Azerbaijan border. The witnesses claim the Azeri border-guard shot 16-year-old Akhmed (Ibragim) Gaurgashvili on the Georgian territory.
“Akhmed was close to the fence and tried to pasture the cattle back to our territory. We have made the fence to prevent our cattle go to the Azerbaijan territory. The fence was done on our territory 8-10 meters from the border because we were afraid of being shot. Azeri border-guard shot Akhmed in the head without warning. Akhmed fell down immediately but he was still conscious and urged for help; however, Azeri border-guards did not allow us to come closer; they pointed automatic guns at us and threatened with shooting if we approached the wounded. Georgian border-guards were not at the border at that moment; they did not appear on the place when the residents of the Erisimedi village joined us and tried to take the wounded,” said the witnesses of the accident Mindia Tavartkiladze and Anzor Bolkvadze.
Asmat Gabashev, resident of Erisimedi village: “Wounded Akhmed tried to reach us crawling; but Azeri border-guards stopped him by stepping on him.
Soso Tsetskhladze, resident of Erisimedi village: “several days before, Azeri border-guards shot my son without warning. He had reached the fence but had not crossed the border. Fortunately, he survived. In the past, the Azeri border-guards used to arrest women and children for illegal crossing the border and released them only after they paid the money.”
Beglar Abashidze, governor of the Erisimedi village: “Georgian border-guards are standing only at their checkpoint at the entrance to Erisimedi. They do not know where the border is. Azeri border-guards and shepherds freely enter our territory where the murder happened; they even steal our cattle. They even drink water from our well; because they are armed villagers cannot go to the well to fetch water. The Border Police of Georgia does not respond to the facts.”
Medea Dekanidze, resident of the Erisimedi: “We will protect the border with our lives. The government does not pay attention to us. We do not know where the border is. Azeri border-guards take advantage of the situation and move towards our territory. They have already stretched wires in the yard of the public school. We cannot allow our children out; we always warn them not to stay in the school yard for a long time. Azeri border-guards have told several times that school building and street where it is located is on their territory.”
State Commission of Delimitation and Demarcation of the Georgian-Azerbaijan State Border was set up based on the resolution of the president of Georgia on March 17, 2006. Several meetings were organized during the 4 years with the participation of Azeri side; however, the chief consultant of the political department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Iveri Melashvili clarified that Georgia has not agreed almost half of the common border with Azerbaijan. “At the level of delimitation commissions we have agreed only 66 % of the border,” said Melashvili.
Experts said the situation is uncontrolled on Georgian-Dagestan border. The former head of the border police of Georgia Badri Bitsadze said the creeping annexation is going on in the unsettled territory of Tusheti.
“I have reliable information that Tsero-Irtsokhi and two more checkpoints were abolished on Georgian-Dagestan border. Besides that, unsettled territory in Tusheti, which was considered to be disputable before the war in 2008 and Georgian and Russian border-guards controlled it on equal basis; today it is controlled by Russia only. The government is completely inactive in regard with the serious and important problem. The government does not have border policy at all. The border service, which complied with all standards, was closed down. The border-guard service does not exist; they have abolished aviation while it is impossible to control Caucasian Range and Russian-Georgian border without it. They have abolished the special unit because Badri Bitsadze had many acquaintances in it,” said the former head of the border police.
Expert Mamuka Areshidze also confirmed the fact of moved border-line by Russian side.
“In Tusheti, in the area of Diklo Mountain, Russia moved the border line at 3 kilometers deliberately and misappropriated 24 sq. kilometers of our territory. Russia wants to control Tusheti direction. Hard social-economical conditions in the mountainous villages of Georgia support this process; the migration of the mountainous population is high and it reduces the border defense system of Georgia. Besides that, the construction of the road from Botlikhi district in Dagestan to Kvareli district has already been finished. The road was built according to the order of Vladimer Putin,” said Mamuka Areshidze.
Tusheti is subordinated to Akhmeta district administration. Dagestan borders it from the east; Chechnya borders it from the north. There were 7 communities in Tusheti: Gometsri, Chaghma, Ovanaurti, Khutsuurti, Pirikiti, Tsovati and Chanchakhovani. There were 53 villages in those communities from where only 7 villages are currently inhabited; only 22 families live there. Most of the villages are abandoned.
The head of the administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia Shota Khizanishvili denied the accusations about uncontrolled Georgian-Azerbaijan and Georgian-Dagestan borders. The MIA does not make any other comments.
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