Ossetian Passports Will Be Issued in Akhalgori since May

Mari Otarashvili

Akhalgori district de-facto administration will start to issue so-called Ossetian passports from May 10. The de-facto government of South Ossetia said the process will be voluntary that means only those will take the passport who wish it.

Georgian national TV-channels have already reported that Akhalgori district administration was inviting school directors and teachers and requested them to take Ossetian passports instead Georgian IDs. The directors denied the information in their interviews with the humanrights.ge

Sveta Kobadze, director of Akhalgori district school # 1: “Nobody has threatened us with firing from school if we do not leave our Georgian IDs. I have not heard about it either. Nobody intimidates us because of our Georgian passports. Nobody has banned me anything. Nobody restricts me at the school either.”

Although nobody was invited to the de-facto administration for the purpose (the Akhalgori district residents said and the de-facto administration also confirms the fact), one thing is clear. Ossetian passportization is expected (and it will happen very soon).

Expert Mamuka Areshidze said that every resident of Akhalgori district shall take Ossetian passport and there is no other alternative.

Mamuka Areshidze: “If there are some conditions for taking Ossetian passport (for example, who will not take the passport will have to leave the district), everybody should take the passport. We need the people to stay in the district. Georgian ethnicity shall be maintained in the district. Otherwise we will lose the territory. If the Ossetian administration does not have similar pre-condition, then everybody can act according to their own wish. Anyway, nobody will be harmed by taking this passport. Akhalgori residents should take Ossetian passports in order to prevent their intimidation or eviction.”

What will be the conditions of the Akhalgori de-facto administration?

Aleksandre Baratashvili, vice-head of the Akhalgori district administration: “Taking the Ossetian passports can be obligatory for only the administration officials; but not for the school directors or others. Besides that, if the Ossetian passportization starts, it does not mean that citizens shall leave their Georgian IDs. I mean, it will not be the forcible process. Only those people will take the passports who wish it.”

Eduard Kokoyty held session with the representatives of the de-facto government. According to the committee of printed media and information of South Ossetia, they discussed the passportization of Tskhinvali district together with other issues.

Kokoyty said the passportization process shall end in South Ossetia by May of 2011.

“The head of the government ordered corresponding structures to strictly control the passportization process in the region,” reported the Ossetian side. According to Kokoyty’s directives, during the passportization the people, who do not live in South Ossetia, shall not receive the passports of South Ossetia.

“During passportization process, the people, who do not live in South Ossetia, shall not receive passports. The process shall finish by May of 2010,” said Kokoyty.

MP of the de-facto parliament of South Ossetia Vladimer Gabaraev said they will not demand the population to leave their Georgian IDs when they take Ossetian passports.