EUMM urges Tskhinvali to open border

The closure of checkpoints on the border with Georgia deprived many residents of South Ossetia of timely medical care, declared the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) after the death of Margarita Martiashvili in a clinic in Tskhinvali.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after a blood stroke, Margarita Martiashvili, a resident of South Ossetia, was taken to a clinic in Tskhinvali, where she died on October 28. Because of the closed administrative border, there were no chances to transport the patient to Tbilisi, where she could be provided with more qualified medical care, activist Tamara Mearakishvili noted.

The Ombudsperson of Georgia called on Russia to contribute to the opening of the border checkpoint in Leningor. Earlier, on September 14, one of the border checkpoints near the city of Akhalgori was temporarily opened for transportation of a local woman to Georgia for the medical treatment.

The death of Margarita Martiashvili shows the potential fatal impact of the "severe restrictions in place on the freedom of movement" for the local population in the Akhalgori Valley (Leningor) after the authorities of South Ossetia have closed the border, the EUMM states.

Earlier, the European External Action Service (EEAS) criticized the South-Ossetian side for detaining a patrol of the EUMM on October 24. In response, the authorities of South Ossetia accused the EUMM of provocation.