Residents’ safety and their ability to cross the administrative boundary line were central to the 135th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting. The talks took place in Ergneti on 22 October 2026, according to the OSCE and the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM).
Detainees and crossing points
EUMM Head Bettina Patricia Boughani and OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus Christoph Späti co-facilitated the meeting. They welcomed recent releases, voiced concern about continuing detentions and urged further efforts to resolve outstanding cases.
The facilitators also welcomed changes to crossing arrangements introduced in early September, while calling for crossing points to reopen fully. Their statement stressed the importance of movement for local communities’ daily lives and well-being.
Keeping communication open
Participants highlighted the EUMM-managed hotline, which supports information exchange on security, detentions and crossings on humanitarian grounds. They agreed to meet again on 15 December. The joint statement gave no figures for attendance or recent releases.
Photo: © OSCE. IPRM meeting in Ergneti, 22 October 2026. Unmodified. OSCE · CC BY-ND 4.0.