“Russia is not attempting to change Georgia-South Ossetia border”– authorities

Russian border authorities have labeled Georgia’s announcement that Russia is demarking the Georgia-South Ossetia border as “unfounded”.

According to a Georgian Interior Ministry report, on August 2, 2009, Russian troops entered the territory of the Georgian village of Kveshi, in the Gori district, and “marked the territory of the village with poles in order to move the so-called border with South Ossetia.”

The ministry labeled the move as an “attempt by the Russian occupying authorities to penetrate deeper into Georgian territory."

Georgian authorities have urged the international community “to carefully follow these developments and make appropriate assessments”.

Meanwhile, the Russian border guard unit in South Ossetia has denied the allegations.

"There have been no activities on the part of Russia in the area of the village of Kveshi. The Russian border guards put up no posts there," border authorities were quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

The Russian side announced that border guards did put temporary posts on the road that leads from the village of Kveshi to control vehicles coming through the border. ”Such poles are not considered to be border signs,” they said.

According to the Russian border guards’ press service, Georgian authorities were “informed about these works beforehand, and were informed that they are not connected to placing border lines”.

The press service has also said that Russian soldiers did not enter the Georgian village.