EU vijftien maanden langer in Georgië om stabiliteit te versterken (en)

Any potential source of tension is spotted by the fields offices, and can then be addressed through the 'hotline' © EUMM

With a new Head of Mission and a mandate extended for fifteen months, the European Union monitoring mission in Georgia (EUMM) looks at the challenges ahead: fostering confidence between parties, faced with a changing environment.

On 13 September, the Political and Security Committee appointed Toivo Klaar, an EU official, as Head of EUMM Georgia. He will be in the lead during the fifteen coming months, following the extension of EUMM’s mandate by the Council early September.

Five years after the war in Georgia, over two hundred EU monitors patrol the administrative boundary lines (ABL) with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Preventing any resurgence of hostilities is one of their key priorities; they are the only international mission present 24/7 on the ground. EUMM's mandate remains centred on full compliance of the parties with the six-point agreement brokered in August 2008 by the French Presidency of the EU. But since its rapid deployment five years ago, the Mission has refined its instruments to contribute to stabilisation and facilitation of dialogue.

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A resident near Ditsi expressing concerns. Since May, farmers and locals have been affected by new fences in the area © EUMM

Local solutions

To address the security situation on the ground, the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was set up in 2009, in the frame of the Geneva International Discussions. With the UN and the OSCE representatives, EUMM has been a key actor of these monthly meetings, which gather all parties around a table - for Abkhazia and South Ossetia respectively.

This mechanism is also a window of opportunity for the Mission to underline the effects of the conflict on local communities: access to fields or to irrigation water, detentions of ‘commuters’ are often on the agenda. “Freedom of movement is essential to long term conflict resolution, and the Mission strives to contribute to finding local solutions for the people, and to prevent new dividing lines”, says Deputy Head of Mission Gerard A. Fischer.

An active stance

Monitoring is indeed not a passive task. “It’s not just about ‘showing the flag’; our mandate demands an active engagement with all sides”, Mr Fischer explains.

On an everyday basis, EUMM liaison officers are in contact with security actors over the phone. When no direct contacts exist between the parties, they contribute to passing information. This ‘Hotline’ is, first of all, a prevention tool. On 17 September, following tension in a village near the South Ossetian ABL, the Mission immediately facilitated a technical level meeting with Georgian, South Ossetian, and Russian security actors. Any potential source of incident is highlighted by the Mission’s Field Offices, or by one of the parties, and can then be addressed through the Hotline.

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Ergneti, 16 September. The Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism: an opportunity to address security on the ground © EUMM

Operational impartiality

On the ground, the conflict dynamic has changed in the past five years. Since 2009, Russian Federation border guards have been patrolling the ABLs, following Moscow’s recognition of South Ossetia’s and Abkhazia’s independence. Physical obstacles, such as fences and ditches, have appeared; check-points were turned into ‘border crossing points’.

Despite the firm position of the EU on the territorial integrity of Georgia and the lack of access to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Mission sticks to its ‘operational impartiality’. EUMM has developed specific channels to liaise with all actors involved, to establish the facts and report on the situation objectively.

“I stand ready to further facilitate dialogue”, says the new Head of Mission Toivo Klaar, “because it is a decisive part of our mandate to build confidence amongst the parties, to help bring the possibility of a resolution to the conflict a little closer”.