TSKHINVAL. March 1 (Interfax) - South Ossetia has denied reports about the so-called "Russia-backed borderization" along the boundary between the republic and Georgia, Murat Dzhioyev, South Ossetian presidential envoy on post-conflict settlement, told Interfax.
"All works on marking the line of the state border between the Republic of South Ossetia and Georgia are being carried out solely by the border authorities of South Ossetia and only in South Ossetian territory, at some distance from the border line," Dzhioyev said.
"Failing to recognize and refusing to see the long-established realities, the Georgian authorities show no reaction to the repeated proposals of South Ossetia representatives urging for joint efforts to determine and mark the line of state border," he said, adding that marking of the border with appropriate barriers will largely stabilize the situation and meet the interests of local residents on both sides of the border.
At the same time, Dzhioyev described Tskhinval's decision of January 11 to close the Georgian segment of its border due to a swine flu outbreak in Georgian territory as a forced step. He called propaganda Tbilisi's statements that the "temporary blocking of checkpoints violate local residents' rights."
South Ossetia is closely watching processes developing in Georgia and as the epidemic situation improves, will decide to fully restore the operation of checkpoints under the simplified procedure, Dzhioyev said.