According to former Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili, during her tenure as minister she was aware of both the placement of the outpost in Chorchana and the necessity of constructing the road.

Tskitishvili made the relevant statement to the media after being questioned by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

She stated that as early as the beginning of 2019, discussions had begun regarding the intensification of borderization in Chorchana. Therefore, the government had already assessed the threats at that time, and specific actions were carried out under the coordination of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“They had questions regarding Chorchana. Naturally, I was obliged to provide answers on this matter.

At that time, I was the Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development. I was aware of the information regarding the placement of the outpost, as well as the need for road construction, since there was both a risk of land seizure and an intensified process of borderization. I don’t know who had reached agreements and in what form, but as the Minister of Infrastructure, I had been aware of this since the road construction procedures began.

Discussion about the ongoing borderization process in Chorchana had already started in early 2019. We could all see that there was a threat of borderization, and I assume that it was assessed as such. Afterwards, the Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out the measures that followed,” said Tskitishvili.