17:50, 28 December 2019

South Ossetia announces closure of Georgian border for New Year holidays

The only checkpoint on the border with Georgia will stop operating from December 30 to January 3, the KGB (State Security Committee) of South Ossetia has announced.

Ekaterina Byazrova, the press officer of the South-Ossetian KGB, has explained this decision on the Facebook as "strengthening security measures on the eve of the New Year."

Let us note here that the checkpoint on the border with Georgia used to close earlier for similar reasons. Thus, on September 3-6, it was closed on the occasion of the Day of Knowledge; and on August 25-27 – in connection with the celebration of the anniversary of the recognition of South Ossetia's independence.

The September decision of South Ossetia to close the border was criticized by the international community. The EU observer mission then noted that the checkpoint closure deprived many South-Ossetians of timely medical care.

On December 28, the head of the pre-boarder Akhalgori municipality of South Ossetia stated that local residents were on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Akhalgori residents lack foodstuffs and medicines, their relatives who left for Georgia assert.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 28, 2019 at 08:33 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.