Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The 4th Media Forum organized by the political science center "North-South" and the non-commercial partnership "Caucasian Cooperation" has recently finished in Tbilisi. The event aroused great interest among journalists and experts of Georgia, since there is no alternative to real public dialogue.
In 2015 the world will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Agreement and the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. But humanity is approaching these anniversaries on the ruins of "the Yalta-Potsdam world", when the old system of global security has been destroyed and a new one has not yet formed. As the former head of the State Chancellery of Georgia, Petre Mamradze, said at the forum, under these conditions the vast majority of people in Georgian society support reconciliation and cooperation with Russia. "There are no anti-Russian sentiments in Georgia. There is a small layer of partisan politicians who are not able to perceive the realities and needs of society," Mamradze said, naming among the representatives of the "layer" Speaker of Parliament David Usupashvili and Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, politicians with uncompromisingly pro-Western and anti-Russian positions.
The participants in the media forum awaited the master class of Maxim Shevchenko with great interest. This is not surprising: you can disagree with him, but he is always original and knows how to defend his opinion. This time Maxim emphasized the need to remove any barriers and borders in the Caucasus region, not by abandoning the statehood of the South Caucasus countries, but through integration and the free movement of people, goods and services. "In any case, the ethnic identity of the Caucasus should be preserved," Shevchenko said.
In the Caucasus region there have never been full-fledged interstate borders. "The Caucasus is a single organism, an indivisible civilization, and it cannot be subject to colonization or expansion. And Russia should stop looking at the Caucasus as a zone of influence," the editor of "Caucasian Policy" said.
The Presentation of a Russian-Georgian project, a television series titled "If You Are a Brother to Me", once again demonstrated that it is through culture one can create a "friendly way" to popularize the people and events that symbolize reconciliation and cooperation, it is possible to achieve a breakthrough in international relations.
The presentation was a worthy finale to conclude the forum, which was held in a very friendly manner. All the participants spoke of the need to continue the dialogue and the development of new events, perhaps even twice a year - in the winter in the mountain resort of Gudauri and in the summer in the "Black Sea Pearl" of Kobuleti, which according to the chief editor of the Georgian Times, Malkhaz Gulashvili, will "combine business with pleasure. "
The organizers presented certificates to the participants in the media forum, who took the most active and committed part in its work. It is obvious that this certificate is not just a formality, but a document that allows cooperation with major Russian resources. For young journalists it is a gateway to a huge media space where they can realize their talents.
In the evening, on behalf of the International Cultural and Educational Union "Russian Club" in one of the most prestigious restaurants in Tbilisi a reception was organized for the guests and participants in the forum.
