Georgia accuses Russian border guards of capturing territory

On July 10, Russian border guards set up information banners on the border with South Ossetia, by capturing part of Georgian territory near the Baku-Supsa pipeline, says a statement by the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

"The Georgia's MFA expresses its deep concern over the targeted provocative actions of Russian occupation forces, aimed at destabilizing the situation and posing a threat to peace and stability," the "Georgia Online" quotes the statement of the MFA.

In the evening on July 10, banners in the Gori District were installed by Russian border guards and the authorities of South Ossetia also in the arable land of the village of Khurvaleti. Because of this, about 70% of the land belonging to the villagers occurred in the territory controlled by the Ossetian party, said the locals, adding that now they will not be able to harvest from these land plots. As they said, on the eve they were warned about it by armed men in uniform.

Villagers of Khurvaleti and Tsitelubani assert that apart from the arable land, they also lost their rural pastures. Accordingly, many of them will have to sell their cattle, the "InterPressNews" reports.

So far, no comments have been made by Russian and South Ossetian authorities to allegations of the Georgia's MFA regarding in the seizure of the rural territory.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.