Written question asked by Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench) on Thursday, 6 July 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 20 July 2017. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 19 July 2017 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Georgia: Russia

Question: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Russia has, in the past 12 months, further increased the area of Georgia which it controls; whether there are EU observers on the temporary border between Georgia and that part of Georgia occupied by Russia; and what representations they have made to Russia in the past 12 months about encroachments.

Answer: EU Observers (EU Monitoring Mission) patrol the Abkhaz and South Ossetian Administrative Boundary Lines (ABLs) on a daily basis but are not permitted by the de facto authorities or Russian forces to cross over into non Tbilisi Administered Territory, despite it being part of their mandate. There are 12 British nationals working in the EUMM (nine funded by Her Majesty's Government, three by the EU). The British Embassy in Tbilisi receive regular briefings from the EUMM about the situation on the ground. The EUMM has reported an increase in ‘borderisation’ activity such as fencing and signage along the ABLs over the last few months, which we believe run contrary to international efforts to find a sustainable solution.

Secondary information