A group of nine Georgian civil society organizations (CSOs) and think tanks, including the Transparency International - Georgia, the Georgian Democracy Initiative and the Rondeli Foundation, issued a joint appeal to the government on July 6, calling for convening the National Security Council over the recent installation of a new green “state border sign” in the area of Bershueti village, Gori district.

The organizations said in their statement that Moscow “continues seizing Georgia’s territories and planting fear in the civilian population.” “The current situation is an extremely serious challenge for the national security of our country and the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Georgian conflict.” 

According to the statement, Russia “continues to grossly violate fundamental international norms and the August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement,” aiming at “fully annexing Georgia’s occupied territories and changing its foreign politicy course.”

The CSOs called on the government to “mobilize” the position of the international community and “immediately” convene a meeting of the National Security Council (under the President) and/or the State Security and Crisis Management Council (under the Prime Minister) “to discuss imminent threats facing Georgia and its citizens, as well as serious challenges facing the security of our country, expressed in the so called borderization, creeping occupation and possible annexation.”

“It is principally important to fundamentally revise the strategy of relations towards Russia: we would like to reiterate that in this situation it is essential to develop an anti-annexation strategy and plan adequate actions on its basis, including the development of efficient plans and standard operating procedures for addressing such crises,” the organizations concluded.