On
October 24, 2022, the "Peace Education Center" at Sokhumi State
University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University
(USA) organized an online conference "Economic, Political and Security
Consequences of the Ukrainian War for the South Caucasus".
Rector of Sokhumi State University, professor
Zurab Khonelidze, presented reports to the audience; Dean of Grigol Robakidze University
School of Business and Management, Professor Vakhtang Charaya; Former
Member of Parliament, Mr. Petre Mamradze; Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Georgia, Mr. Malkhaz Kakabadze; Deputy
Director of the Scientific Department of the Foreign Policy Research Institute
(USA), Mrs. Maya Otarashvili; Professor Jeffrey Taliaferro, Department of Political Science, Taft
University.
The speakers discussed the impact of the
Russia-Ukraine war on Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and local conflicts. In this
context, Rector Zurab Khonelidze's innovative ideas, which imply the synergy of
diplomacy and academic space, were noted to have a positive value for the
settlement of regional conflicts and the construction of a regional security
system.
Rector of Sokhumi State University welcomed the
participants of the conference. In the report of Mr. Zurab, attention was
focused on various topical issues:
"The
covid-virus pandemic, the subsequent war, the tragic processes in Ukraine,
ideological politics, the ongoing transformation of geopolitics, regional
integration, have changed the way of life of the civilized world and among
them. The
world is becoming a multi-vector and consumer market.
As you know, any event, including trials, has two
sides like a medal. A crisis in the life of a nation, a country
creates an opportunity for purification, catharsis, which in itself is a
necessary condition for the eternal renewal of society. He who
overcomes the crisis wins over himself without defeating himself.
The complex and contradictory problems in the
world are still mainly worldview in nature. His analysis dictates that it is
necessary to change the philosophical character, deep strategic thinking,
supported by sound intellectual arguments, which will restore people's faith in
fundamental values, first of all I mean: freedom, justice, love. It is a
kind of intellectual belief that, in turn, creates the highest degree of
intellectual trust between people and societies that hold these values. I will
discuss today's meeting only in this context.
It is true that the truth is not accessible to
everyone, it is only shared by a few, but the chosen ones, and you are the
people who are able not only to understand the truth, but also to protect it.
You will agree, in the life of every nation or country
there comes a time when, instead of reform (change of form), But based on
finding the right strategic task and resources for its implementation, fed by
new national, public ideas and proposing a global project (not reform, change
of form) means the return of national faith. I think that such a historical time
has come for Georgia and it would be a mistake to miss this chance dictated by
the force of destiny.
The modern world does not allow a country to
effectively control all internal and external threats independently,
self-isolating, even with an orientation towards any world or civilization.
Based on the above, the need to acquire an international function has become
the need of the hour. The only real way for Georgia to achieve it is to create not
only the attractiveness, but also the need, necessity of the Georgian state
through peaceful coexistence with other nations, additional interest of the
main regulator in global politics and the balance of the world's regulating
forces, and in this way, to be able to regionally integrate into the system of
international relations.
The strength of the Georgian state, whose
strength lies in its diversity, and its efficiency lies in the expansion of the
operational space - area, is the most important: geopolitical, geoeconomic,
military-political, intellectual, etc. The resource lies precisely on the
plane of integrative processes.
Georgia is not and cannot be a closed space,
system. It is a synthesis of the west and east of the Black Sea basin,
specifically the Caucasus. Religiously, historically and geographically, it is
in the epicenter of the multifaceted intersection of interests, which is called
not only the Georgian, but also the South Caucasian and Caucasian space. Ganges made it the gateway to Eurasia. of the
Eurasian continent, which is the geopolitical axis of the world. It was the
function of the bridge connecting Eurasia, its key, that fundamentally
determined the historical fate of Georgia.
It is true that the Caucasus is a single region,
which consists of two geopolitical parts - a space, but by a single regional
space I mean only the "South Caucasus" (Georgia, Azerbaijan,
Armenia), that single regional space of sovereign states, the priority
importance of which has been given to Georgia as the organizing center since
time immemorial.
Open or hidden interests in the region exclude
the existence of any one-sided strategy for the common regional space, which is
the responsibility of their participants: the geopolitical centers of the
world's dominant and regional leader states, transnational corporations, etc.
It leads to the necessity of joint decision-making.
The bottom line of the formation of a unified
security system of the South Caucasus and its transformation into a new
peaceful space (under one umbrella) is in the happy reconciliation of global,
regional and national interests without disobeying and enslaving each other in
order to generate additional benefits.
The importance of our concept - university
diplomacy as a Georgian paradigm of peace - goes beyond the borders of the
country: Presentations were held with international organizations and
diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia, as well as in the academic circles of
Israel, several European countries and Turkey (universities, historical
societies, scientific-analytical centers), which aroused great interest.
Moreover, there is an active process of involving them in the implementation of
this Georgian and at the same time global project. The work was translated into
Bulgarian and published in the city of Sofia. It will be published in Italian,
Turkish, Polish and Hebrew languages in the near future. The sectoral council
of higher education of the conflict scientist has introduced a new term
"university diplomacy" in the sectoral characteristics. In addition, he
created an opportunity for Sokhumi State University to restore a healthy
relationship with its historical roots in Sokhumi - the University of Abkhazia; A
representative office of the university was opened in the United States of
America (State of Florida, Orlando); to establish a "Peace Education
Research Center" in the university space, which, with the involvement of
Georgian, Abkhazian and Ossetian scientists and researchers, young people and
international partners, is being formed into a systematically organized,
institutionally strong international scientific and research organization; A
Georgian, English, and Russian master's program was created, which successfully
passed the accreditation process and is being implemented in several higher
education institutions in Georgia and the world. to hold and participate in a
number of international scientific conferences", - said Mr. Zurab.
At the
end of the report, the rector answered the questions and talked about important
peace initiatives, which will be implemented very soon by the initiative and
organization of Sokhumi State University.
.png)
.png)