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Compiled by Messenger Staff
WEdnesday, April 6
NATO Corner – reason of separatists’ fear
An Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting to be held on April 7 could fail because of the Ossetian side, 24 Hours writes.
Separatists are protesting against the opening of NATO corner in Ergneti public school. Ergneti is the village where IPRM was holding. “Until the village of Ergneti represents a ‘NATO zone’, the delegation from South Ossetia will not participate in these meetings. Tbilisi has again tried to halt the IPRM meeting by opening a NATO corner in this school,” head of South Ossetian delegation Merab Chigoev said.
The IPRM meeting has been cancelled time and time again for 10 months but has resumed after the involvement of the CoE Human Rights Commissioner. Officials in Tbilisi say that the reasons the South Ossetian side are highlighting are absurd as NATO corner just refers to special literature and a NATO flag in school.
“We have not received official notification that the South Ossetian side will not participate in the upcoming meeting and we are preparing for the next round of IPRM meetings. If EUMM will inform us about the possible failure of this meeting, the Georgian side will make the decision afterwards,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze said.
The South Ossetian side is ready to hold a meeting in the village of Dvani where NATO corner has not been opened yet. EUMM said that they are not against changing the meeting place,” Chigoev said.
Kapanadze, in his response, said that the Georgian side is ready to meet the Ossetian side at any place and highlighted that this is not a problem for Georgian participants. “We can meet them at any place but we will not take into account their demand to change something only for that reason. It is our sovereign right to decide what we will open at schools,” Kapanadze said.
Radioactive Material Found In the Vicinity of Batumi Port
Batumi international Container Terminal was closed after scrap metal containing radioactive material was discovered, 24 Hours reports. The staff of Batumi port has been evacuated after the experts confirmed radiation in scrap metal in the port.
Collaborators have not been allowed access to the terminal and it is temporarily suspended.
A special group of emergency situations management of MIA is mobilized. Chief specialist of nuclear and radioactive security service Levan Gogua states that the radioactive material is Caesium 137 according to preliminary information. He says that the port has not been evacuated, but it is forbidden to approach the area around 20-30 meters from the radiation source.
Official comment has not been made yet by the port management.
An Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting to be held on April 7 could fail because of the Ossetian side, 24 Hours writes.
Separatists are protesting against the opening of NATO corner in Ergneti public school. Ergneti is the village where IPRM was holding. “Until the village of Ergneti represents a ‘NATO zone’, the delegation from South Ossetia will not participate in these meetings. Tbilisi has again tried to halt the IPRM meeting by opening a NATO corner in this school,” head of South Ossetian delegation Merab Chigoev said.
The IPRM meeting has been cancelled time and time again for 10 months but has resumed after the involvement of the CoE Human Rights Commissioner. Officials in Tbilisi say that the reasons the South Ossetian side are highlighting are absurd as NATO corner just refers to special literature and a NATO flag in school.
“We have not received official notification that the South Ossetian side will not participate in the upcoming meeting and we are preparing for the next round of IPRM meetings. If EUMM will inform us about the possible failure of this meeting, the Georgian side will make the decision afterwards,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze said.
The South Ossetian side is ready to hold a meeting in the village of Dvani where NATO corner has not been opened yet. EUMM said that they are not against changing the meeting place,” Chigoev said.
Kapanadze, in his response, said that the Georgian side is ready to meet the Ossetian side at any place and highlighted that this is not a problem for Georgian participants. “We can meet them at any place but we will not take into account their demand to change something only for that reason. It is our sovereign right to decide what we will open at schools,” Kapanadze said.
Radioactive Material Found In the Vicinity of Batumi Port
Batumi international Container Terminal was closed after scrap metal containing radioactive material was discovered, 24 Hours reports. The staff of Batumi port has been evacuated after the experts confirmed radiation in scrap metal in the port.
Collaborators have not been allowed access to the terminal and it is temporarily suspended.
A special group of emergency situations management of MIA is mobilized. Chief specialist of nuclear and radioactive security service Levan Gogua states that the radioactive material is Caesium 137 according to preliminary information. He says that the port has not been evacuated, but it is forbidden to approach the area around 20-30 meters from the radiation source.
Official comment has not been made yet by the port management.