OSCE: Monitoring Needed in Abkhazia, South Ossetia

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek arrived to Georgia for a 2 day visit today.

Vollebaek conducted a number of meetings with the representatives of the Georgian government and the NGOs, NewsGeorgia reports, citing Georgian Rustavi-2.

 “During my earlier visit to Sukhumi and Tskhinvali I raised the issue of the people evicted from their own homes and forced to leave the territory. In my opinion, international monitoring is needed. The people will not be able to return there unless the territory is supervised by an international mission,” Vollebaek said.

During the visit, the OSCE High Commissioner plans to study the conditions of national minority rights in Georgia and to receive the reports on the situation in Georgia’s breakaway territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

He also plans to meet with Georgia’s ombudsman Giorgi Tugushi and with the diplomatic corps in Georgia. Knut Vollebaek’s previous visit to Georgia took place in November 2010.