Interview by Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VK
The chairwoman of the organizing committee of the 2nd Russian-Georgian forum of NGOs, Mariya Kanevskays, told Vestnik Kavkaza in an interview about the Tbilisi forum and prospects for Russian-Georgian cooperation in this field.
- Mrs. Kanevskaya, what do you think about the role NGOs play in bilateral relations?
- Despite some kind of contact (for instance the talks between Deputy Minister Karasian and Prime Minister's Envoy Abashidze) our countries maintain no diplomatic relations. NGOs however still cooperate with each other. Moreover there are even some results from our work. For instance, we brought Moscow activists to Tbilisi, we organized a bike ride via the territories of both our countries.
We have to maintain this kind of contact. We have to talk to each other. Only open and fair discussions of all existing issues can help us to improve bilateral relations, to force the politicians to find a way out of this conflict.
- The first forum was held a year ago. What has changed within this year?
- First of all, this year the forum was much more popular. Last year we had about 60 participants, this year there were more than 100. This interest is caused by the fact that all discussions are absolutely free and people are welcome to express any opinion, if they don't like what someone is saying. Everyone is free to talk about the things he or she is concerned about. That is why our event is so popular.
- Which Russian NGOs are involved in this project?
- There are 30 participants from 30 different regions of Russia, from St. Petersburg to the Far East. These are the country's main NGOs engaged in human rights activism and peacekeeping efforts. There were 20 participants from the Caucasus.
- What results do you hope for?
- We hope to establish working groups. They will focus on suggesting some particular projects and plans. We may discuss various issues in the framework of the forum, but certain issues may be settled only within working groups. We are going to host a joint Georgian-Russian press conference soon. Of course we would like to organize similar events Russia, but since the visa issue has not been settled yet, now we meet in Georgia.
Interview by Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VKThe chairwoman of the organizing committee of the 2nd Russian-Georgian forum of NGOs, Mariya Kanevskays, told Vestnik Kavkaza in an interview about the Tbilisi forum and prospects for Russian-Georgian cooperation in this field.- Mrs. Kanevskaya, what do you think about the role NGOs play in bilateral relations?- Despite some kind of contact (for instance the talks between Deputy Minister Karasian and Prime Minister's Envoy Abashidze) our countries maintain no diplomatic relations. NGOs however still cooperate with each other. Moreover there are even some results from our work. For instance, we brought Moscow activists to Tbilisi, we organized a bike ride via the territories of both our countries.We have to maintain this kind of contact. We have to talk to each other. Only open and fair discussions of all existing issues can help us to improve bilateral relations, to force the politicians to find a way out of this conflict.- The first forum was held a year ago. What has changed within this year?- First of all, this year the forum was much more popular. Last year we had about 60 participants, this year there were more than 100. This interest is caused by the fact that all discussions are absolutely free and people are welcome to express any opinion, if they don't like what someone is saying. Everyone is free to talk about the things he or she is concerned about. That is why our event is so popular.- Which Russian NGOs are involved in this project?- There are 30 participants from 30 different regions of Russia, from St. Petersburg to the Far East. These are the country's main NGOs engaged in human rights activism and peacekeeping efforts. There were 20 participants from the Caucasus.- What results do you hope for?- We hope to establish working groups. They will focus on suggesting some particular projects and plans. We may discuss various issues in the framework of the forum, but certain issues may be settled only within working groups. We are going to host a joint Georgian-Russian press conference soon. Of course we would like to organize similar events Russia, but since the visa issue has not been settled yet, now we meet in Georgia.Interview by Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusi
