State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf condemned Russian "borderization" activities between the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Wednesday in the State Department press conference:
Q: Russian authorities have apparently erected some fences in Georgia between the areas of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and territory that's still controlled by Tbilisi. Does the United States have a reaction to that?
MS. HARF: We do, and thank you for the question. We note with concern the continued and increasing activities by Russian security forces to erect fences and other physical barriers along the administrative boundary lines of the occupied territories in Georgia. This borderization is inconsistent with Russia's international commitments and Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Borderization also damages trust between the sides, creates hardship for Georgian citizens on either side of the boundary line, and we would call on the Russian Federation to remove the barriers and to address issues related to the conflict in Georgia at the Geneva international discussion.
The increased trend in Russian "borderization" activities inside Georgia represents an escalation in the territorial conflict between Russia and Georgia.
Last February NATO requested that Moscow cease administering dividing lines inside the former Soviet satellite state, declaring a continuance of the policy runs contrary to Russia's international obligations and prevents a peaceful resolution to the "conflict in Georgia."