OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, on his visit to Georgia, expresses concern over obstacles to freedom of movement along Administrative Boundary Line with South Ossetia

TBILISI, 18 June 2013 - OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, on a two-day visit to Georgia, today discussed with President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze a number of issues, focusing on the OSCE agenda.

The Ministers exchanged views on the current situation in the Geneva International Discussions. The OSCE Chair expressed concern over the process of erecting fences along the Administrative Boundary Line with South Ossetia, which creates serious obstacles for the freedom of movement of the local population. Kozhara urged to discuss this issue in the framework of the existing international mechanisms with the aim of finding its peaceful solution through negotiations.

Tomorrow the OSCE Chair will continue discussions with Georgian political leadership on the entire scope of the OSCE-related issues with a particular focus on protracted conflicts.