Issue #1253

Issue no: 1253

• JULY 3 - 9, 2020 • PUBLISHED WEEKLY

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In this week’s issue...

Don’t Forget Your Reusable Bag! 4 Tips to Help You Shop Responsibly NEWS PAGE 3

Putin's Constitutional Referendum, Round 2 POLITICS PAGE 4

FOCUS ON GEORGIA'S VULNERABLE

We spoke to UNICEFGeorgia's Ghassan Khalil about the effect of C-19 on the nation's children and poor

PAGE 8

EU Approves Decision to Open Borders to 15 Countries, Including Georgia

BY ANA DUMBADZE

POLITICS PAGE 6

History of Georgia’s Economy. Part I BUSINESS PAGE 7

She Counts: Simple Truth to End Harmful Practices against Women & Girls SOCIETY PAGE 9

USAID-Supported Civics Club Shows How Youth Can Contribute to COVID-19 Response SOCIETY PAGE 10

Redefining the City – Artist Guela Tsouladze Launches Art Workshops in Batumi

T

he European Union Member States have finally approved a list of 15 countries considered safe due to their epidemiological situation related to the new coronavirus, including Georgia, schengenvisainfo.com reports.

The EU borders will be gradually reopened with the following third countries: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, and China (subject to confirmation of reciprocity).

The Council's statement notes that "travel restrictions should be lifted for countries listed in the recommendation, with this list being reviewed and, as the case may be, updated every two weeks".

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani responded to the decision of the Council of the European Union.

"We welcome the EU's decision to start lifting travel restrictions for residents of third countries, including Georgia, from 1 July, a decision which indicates the effectiveness of the Georgian

Contemporary Int’l Relations & Georgia’s Possible Response: Challenges, Risks, Answers. Part 1

CULTURE PAGE 11 Prepared for Georgia Today Business by

Markets As of 26ͲJunͲ2020

STOCKS

Source: schengenvisainfo.com. Image: AFP

government’s COVID-19 control strategy and builds up Georgia's image as one of the world's safest countries," the FM stated.

Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia also responded to the EU Council's decision to open the borders for 15 countries, including Georgia.

"Including Georgia on the list of so-called 'green countries' is another confirmation of our strategic partnership with the EU. It's an impor-

tant achievement and acknowledgment of the success we had in the fight against the pandemic," he stated.

"On behalf of the Government of Georgia and all Georgians, I would like to thank the European Union for its recognition, trust and strategic partnership. We are currently in direct consultation with the member states to ensure the safe, gradual and coordinated movement of our citizens," the head of the government tweeted.

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NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

Voters in Russia Back the Constitutional Changes, Allowing Putin to Stay in Power until 2036

BY NINI DAKHUNDARIDZE

T

he first of July marked the last day of voting for referendum changes in Russia that would allow Vladimir Putin, the current President of Russia, to continue his rule. The results show that Russian voters strongly backed the referendum that will make it possible for Putin to remain in power until 2036. The political opposition and an independent Russian election monitor group has, however, made claims that the government rigged the ballot.

The voting began on June 25 and ended July 1. Russia’s Central Election Commission reported that with most of the ballots counted, 78% of voters opted for “yes”, while the turnout was 65% of eligible voters. It has been reported that the biggest support for constitutional changes, above 90%, came from voters in Crimea, a region of Ukraine annexed

by Russia in 2014, in Chechnya in the North Caucasus, and Tuva, in Siberia.

Up until the referendum, Putin was required to step down after 2024, the end of his current six-year term.

Although the Russian Parliament passed the amendments to the constitution weeks ago, Putin insisted on having the population approve his stay.

The referendum also consists of some 200 other amendments, including a ban

Source: NPR, BBC

on same-sex marriage and an affirmation of the Russian people's belief in God. Some other changes, now passed by the parliament and the public, are designed to strengthen the country's State Council, plus a provision banning the relinquishing of any Russian territory. NPR’s Scott Neuman wrote that

this was “a move aimed at solidifying Moscow's hold on Crimea.”

Putin was photographed voting at the Royal Academy of Sciences, where he was handed a ballot by a poll worker clad in mask and gloves as an apparent precaution against coronavirus infection, while Putin himself is not

wearing any.

Putin’s presidency term limits will be reset to zero in 2024, and the Russian President, currently 67, could go on to serve well into his 80s. Putin is in his fourth term of presidency, first rising to power back in 1999. He served as the President of Russia until 2008, when he

stepped down and served as Prime Minister for Medvedev for four years before winning the presidencial elections again in 2012 and serving since.

Modern Russian history has not seen a leader rule longer than Putin since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who served as the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for thirty years, between 1922 and 1952.

The opposition accused the government of rigging the ballot, denounced the vote and claimed that the Russian President was aiming to be "president for life.” Putin has denied this.

The BBC reported that Golos, an independent Russian election monitoring group, noticed many violations of democracy in the referendum, one of them that, before the finalization of the voting process, “the internal affairs ministry said there had been no violations that could affect the result” (Interfax). However, Golos said it had received some 2,100 reports of possible violations.

The criticism includes: “opponents were barred from campaigning in the media; remote electronic voting was organized on an illegal basis; and election monitors were appointed by the Civic Chamber, a government body.”

The vote for the constitutional change was postponed from April 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the infection risk resulted in making it more difficult to monitor the legitimacy of the voting process in Russia.

PM Congratulates Those Who Voted Statement from the for Constitutional Amendments Georgian National Academy of Sciences

BY ANA DUMBADZE

I

BY ACADEMICIAN ROIN METREVELI

T

he Georgian National Academy of Sciences is watching closely the ongoing developments surrounding the Hagia Sophia Museum, and expresses deep concerns about the possible change of its status.

Such moves may cause irreparable damage to the work of its scientific research and preservation, it being a cultural monument under the protection of UNESCO. We hope that the Hagia Sophia Cathedral will maintain the status of “museum”.

Academician Roin Metreveli is the President of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences

would like to congratulate every member of Parliament on this result, everyone who voted for these constitutional amendments, who was able to put the country above his or her personal, selfish interests, - the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia told journalists after an event dedicated to the International Day of the Seafarer in Batumi.

The Head of Government stressed the political significance of the constitutional amendments, noting that the Georgian Dream, the ruling team, was able to achieve full mobilization, despite the difficulties involved, and did what it had to do, "first and foremost, for the citizens, for the further democratization of this country, and for the irreversibility of Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations."

"For me, personally, these constitutional amendments, which bring us closer to a proportional electoral system, imply several significant achievements. First: this is an irreversible process that the political elite of independent Georgia has dreamed of since the 1990s. No one was able to do this, and the Georgian Dream achieved

this, despite the difficulties involved.

The government team was able to achieve full mobilization and to do what it had to do, first and foremost, for our citizens, for the further democratization of this country, and for the irreversibility of Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. What is most important here is that Georgia's further democratization and Euro-Atlantic integration is irreversible, and this is what we have voted for. As regards those who did not vote for these legislative amendments due to certain selfish, narrow political interests, and who are justifying this by citing vague, moreover, criminal cases, this justification simply will not work with regard to our citizens. Once again, I would like to congratulate each and every person who voted for these constitutional amendments, regardless of which political force they represent, and to thank them," he noted.

The Georgian Parliament approved the draft constitutional amendments to the electoral system in the third hearing this week. 117 MPs supported the draft constitutional law on the amendments, while 3 representatives voted against.

Based on the draft amendments, the 2020 parliamentary elections will be held in the context of a mixed electoral system (120 proportional, 30 majoritar-

ian), meaning that the next parliament will be composed of 120 MPs elected under the proportional system and 30 MPs elected under the majoritarian system, with a 1% threshold.

The draft amendments also stipulate the so-called 40% locking mechanism: the party which receives less than 40.54% votes under the proportional system will not be able to form an independent majoritarian government.

The National Movement and European Georgia factions refused to take part, claiming that the March 8 agreement between the government and the opposition on the electoral system has not been fully fulfilled, as one of the leaders of the opposition Giorgi Rurua still remains in custody and part of the agreement was to release political prisoners.

Two leaders of the opposition, former Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava and former Minister of Defense Irakli Okruashvili were released from custody on May 15, after being pardoned by the President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili. Giorgi Rurua, the founder and shareholder of the opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi TV, still remains in custody, while the opposition claims that he is a "political prisoner" and demands his release "as part of the March 8 Agreement between the parties."

NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

3

Don’t Forget Your Reusable Bag! 4 Tips to Help You Shop Responsibly

F

or Carrefour, one of the largest hypermarkets and supermarket chains in the world, represented in Georgia by Majid Al Futtaim and operating in the country since 2012, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship are among the main priorities.

A name with great sense of social responsibility, Carrefour proactively supports the communities it serves. Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship remain one of the most important parts of its activities, mostly in terms of taking care of the environment and helping socially vulnerable people.

Being very active in terms of CSR, the Carrefour Georgia team decided to start an environmental campaign titled ‘Honor the Nature,’ which aims to educate its customers on the harm caused by plastic bags and the advantages of using Carrefour reusable bags. Since that campaign was launched, sales of Carrefour reusable bags has increased by 120%.

Carrefour Georgia launched the second wave of its environmental campaign in March 2019. Special decorations with the new campaign messages were placed in all its stores and Carrefour no longer uses plastic bags at their cash counters, having various choices of reusable bag, and selling compostable bags. In addition, the company offers paper bags for

free in all sections.

It’s their important achievement that since the launch of the campaign, consumption of single use bags has reduced by 70%.

On International Plastic Bag Free Day (IPBFD), an annual global initiative that aims to eliminate the consumption of single-use plastic bags, Carrefour is calling on all shoppers to play their part in creating a greener, safer world by switching to environmentally-friendly reusable or eco bags.

While many shoppers have already made the change, some still struggle to put their sustainable shopping bags to good, eco-conscious use; often forgetting them at home when shopping.

With this in mind, Carrefour has put together a short list of helpful tips and tricks, offering some friendly advice on how to make the most of your reusable bags and ensure that you keep them at the front of your mind whenever you decide to take a trip to the grocery store.

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND First and foremost, it is important to keep these bags in sight, storing them somewhere conspicuous so you see them before you head out to shop. You might, for instance, try hanging them in your kitchen or, better yet, on or near your front door.

ON THE GO These bags are made to be taken with you. Wherever you go, they go. Why not stash one in your car, or keep one at work? Should you ever need to make a quick trip to the grocery store, you’ll always have one handy.

MONEY WELL SPENT Should you forget to take a reusable bag with you to the store, resist the temptation to use a single-use plastic bag. While it might be easier to simply fall back on the option of a free plastic bag, remember: the money spent on an eco- or reusable bag will go a long way to making your community a lot more sustainable. And if the thought of buying additional reusable bags seems a little indulgent, you could gift it to a friend or family member and help spread the word of sustainable living.

NOTE TO SELF Adding a note, a quick reminder, at the end of your shopping list to grab your reusable bag before you head out the door to your local supermarket works wonders for many. Why not do the same?

Assigning a family member to look after your reusable bags can also be very helpful, making these eco bags part of your family shopping routine.

Wizz Air Temporarily Suspends Flights to/from Georgia

BY ANA DUMBADZE

F

ollowing reports about the possible temporary abolishment of Hungarian low-coster Wizz Air's base in Kutaisi, western Georgia, the company has released an official statement, saying that it is ready to carry out flights between Georgia and other countries as soon as the pandemic situation improves.

“Wizz Air is actively monitoring the global pandemic and local epidemic situations, taking into account the regulations of the Georgian government, and continuing to operate in the country,” the statement read.

“Wizz Air has been operating in Georgia since 2012, and expanded even further after 2016 when it established its base in the country. Wizz Air has become one of the leading airlines in Georgia, serving more than 2.5 million passengers, which has significantly contributed to the strengthening of tourism in recent years.

“The airline expresses its readiness to operate flights between Georgia and other countries as soon as regular commercial flights are resumed.

“We are also ready to add new destinations from Kutaisi International Airport as soon as the pandemic situation improves and the demand for travel

begins to return to its previous level,” reads the statement.

“We are not closing our base in Kutaisi, but we are temporarily suspending operations,” Andras Rado, Wizz Air Communications Manager, reiterated at an online press conference this week.

“Unfortunately, we have to suspend flights due to the virus. The suspension will last until we receive the next instructions. We do not know when the restrictions will end.

“As far as I know, we don't have planes at the Kutaisi base right now. As soon as the operations in Kutaisi are resumed, of course, we will bring back the planes.

Until then, taking into account international and local restrictions, we are looking for other solutions to carrying out flights via Kutaisi.

“Wizz Air is monitoring the developments at the international level and in Georgia. We will resume flights as soon as the conditions allow us to do so. Of course, we must obey all the rules set by the international and local authorities. We hope to resume flights to/from Georgia as soon as possible,” said Rado.

The Wizz Air Communications Manager also stressed that people employed at the Kutaisi base will receive their salaries, and, if a decision on relocation is taken, they will try to find jobs for the employees at other bases served by the company.

Natia Turnava, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, responded to the reports about the temporary abolishment of Hungarian low-coster Wizz Air's base in Kutaisi.

In her words, the Hungarian airline has been operating in Georgia since 2012 and the local government has done its best to expand the Wizz Air area.

“I want to assure our people and tell them that Wizz Air is not going anywhere, it feels comfortable in Georgia and remains loyal to its customers, the citizens of Georgia,” she said, going on to claim that she has personally talked to the company representatives and Wizz Air has also confirmed publicly that it is not going anywhere.

She added that today the global aviation industry is facing great difficulties and, naturally, airlines are trying to reduce costs.

“It does not matter whether Wizz Air planes will be based at Kutaisi Airport or any other base of the company. The main thing is that it is not going anywhere. It continues to cooperate with the Georgian government.

“The company’s application for the resumption of flights has been officially filed and is awaiting our notification. As soon as we are ready, Wizz Air will resume flights and the company will itself confirm this in the near future,” Turnava emphasized.

EaP Youth Engagement Summit: Unique Virtual Event Discusses New Deal for Youth

O

n 2-3 July, the first-ever virtual Eastern Partnership Youth Engagement Summit brought together over 400 active youth leaders and youth workers from the Eastern Partnership region for a unique opportunity to exchange amongst themselves and with policymakers from the EU and the Eastern partner countries on achievements and challenges in the field of youth.

“Empowering young people from the region is and will remain a priority for the EU," said Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. "Investing in youth is always the best investment. We will be launching a new deal for youth, where we will work together with the governments to ensure the skills the labor market needs.

This will make youth competitive globally, and allow them to find high-quality jobs regionally.”

Held online for the first time due to the coronavirus restrictions, the summit was a free, globally accessible meeting for registered participants.

Participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine were invited to share good practices and experiences

in the field of youth work and youth policy and discuss their vision of the future of the EaP. The outcomes of the discussions and possible conclusions will be documented in the form of a report and shared with the relevant stakeholders.

Under the main thematic focus of 'Youth engagement in the EaP: exploring the present and navigating the future!,' the Summit focused on the following topics: The Eastern Partnership beyond 2020 and the role of young people; Youth participation in policy making by strengthening EaP Youth Councils and the EaP Civil Society Forum; Youth transition from education to work through skills development; Youth social entrepreneurship realities and good practices; Effective communication and tackling disinformation; Achievements under the EU4Youth package, with a focus on Erasmus+ and EU4Youth.

The two-day program included panel discussions, presentations, webinars and parallel-group discussions, with the aim of harvesting conclusions for building future opportunities for young people in the Eastern partner countries.

4

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

Putin's Constitutional Referendum, Round 2

BY DAVID BRAGVADZE, GISP

O

n July 1, 2020, citizens of the Russian federation cast their final vote regarding the constitutional changes initiated by President Putin and it was quite unthinkable to assume that they would pledge anything less than their full and unconditional support for the big man himself.

The referendum was initially scheduled for April 22, 2020, yet was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much to the Kremlin’s chagrin, as Putin’s Russia aimed to give the occasion a symbolic layer as well: the birth of the new Russia would coincide with the 150th anniversary of Lenin. Could anything that’s symbolically linked to Lenin be expected to provide any modernizing impetus?

Hardly so. These changes aren’t designed to change anything, and aim to ensure one thing only: to keep the reins of power in Putin’s trusty hands for an indefinite amount of time. As in, the only change is designed to prevent any change whatsoever.

The symbolic gesture was not to be, as, due to the pandemic, Lenin’s birthday had to be celebrated in a rather auspicious manner, but this hardly changes anything. If the Kremlin’s intent was that in two weeks the COVID-19 situation would improve, then it has seemingly backfired. With over 620,000 confirmed cases and about 9000 deaths, the situation in Russia has hardly changed for the better. And this considering the widespread belief that Moscow might be hiding the real statistics and that the situation might be far direr than what official data suggests. This is further amplified by the eerie trend of Russian doctors who openly discuss the collapse of the Russian health sector to suddenly end their lives with suicide, usually by jumping out of the hospital windows.

Apparently, postponing the referendum even further was a major no-no for President Putin, who seemingly wants to be done with it as soon as possible.

And if this requires hiding the COVID19 data and throwing a few doctors out of the window, it’s a bargain from the Kremlin viewpoint.

One should also remember that Putin tried his best to prepare the grounds for the referendum and lift the collective spirits with two grandiose occasions: on May 9, construction of the Grand Cathe-

Russian President Vladimir Putin. By Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

dral of the Russian Armed Forces was finished, June 14 saw the church being consecrated, and it was officially opened on June 22. Much has been written about it already: 95 meters in height and a 10,000 sq m area, and with capacity to accommodate more than 6000 parishioners, it is indeed an impressive building. So much so that many an author has opined that it’s more a monument to Russian military might than a canonical example of Christian architecture. Especially considering its interior sports frescos of such sainted figures as President Putin himself and the Defense Minister Shoigu, while one can also enjoy a mural depicting the annexation of Crimea and many similar “biblical scenes”. The opening ceremony was held with much fanfare.

Another major occasion was the “Victory Parade”, which was held on June 24 instead of the customary May 9. The 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War was celebrated with traditional pomposity, with armed forces marching alongside heavy military vehicles. The occasion was traditionally well-attended: together with the Kremlin officials and war veterans, one could observe a great number of other people,

dressed as veterans but not actually being them. For example, there was particularly colorful character, who proudly displayed the Order of the Hero of the Soviet Union alongside the “Georgievsky Cross”, which, considering that it was awarded to veterans of First World War back in 19141918, would have made this person at least 125-years-old, which he most distinctly was not.

Alongside other world leaders of great renown, the parade was also attended by the head of the Occupied South Ossetia’s puppet regime, Anatoly Bibilov. A similar parade was held in Tskhinvali, administered by Russian General Victor Fiodorov, the “Deputy Defense Minister” of so-called South Ossetia.

With these two events, Putin tried to create the impression that everything is alright in Russia, and that ordinary citizens of the Russian Federation are getting back to their ordinary lives. A suitable background for holding a nation-wide referendum, then.

The referendum envisages 12 changes to the Russian Constitution. Some deal with the power structure between the President and the legislative power and is of a completely formal nature. One of the changes provides the definition of

marriage as a union between a man and a woman, while another deals with the indexation of pensions, and yet another aims to bring the minimum wage equal to the subsistence minimum.

The important ones, however, are the changes that deal directly with the presidential power. An eligible presidential candidate should have lived in Russia for 25 years, with the last ten being continuous. At first sight, this should be hardly relevant to Putin, although it gives him yet further leverage to prevent the emergence of a hitherto unknown political opponent from the Russian elite.

The most important change, however, would allow Putin to run for at least two more six-year terms after the end of his second presidential term in 2024. Interestingly, it resets the terms for Putin, but would not apply to future presidents.

Initially, many thought this change amounted to Putin leaving the presidential seat and ruling the country from some other position; however, these “fears” were soon allayed, as it became known shortly after that the new change would “annul” the presidential terms of the incumbent President. The next presidential elections in Russia are scheduled for March 24, which means that the

citizens of the Russian Federation will cast their votes for the President that nominally they have never voted for before, i.e. Putin.

All this clarifies that the only goal of the proposed changes is to ensure the continued status of the country, keeping Putin in power for as long as possible.

The new formula would enable Putin to be “elected” again in 2024 and 2030. In 2036, when the next annulment terms would theoretically occur, Putin will already be 83. Were he still to cling to power as he does today and enjoy the same kind of influence, there’s little reason to doubt that yet another annulment would happen.

Vladimir Putin first announced the possible constitutional changes on December 19, 2020. The results of the Levada Center’s first survey on the matter would soon follow. The data looked encouraging: 73% for and only 13 against.

Come March, the amount of supporters had drastically decreased: only 45% in support, with a staggeringly high 41% against. Fast-forward to May, which saw the support decrease by a mere percentage point, while those against reached a high, but somewhat realistic, 32. Other surveys were soon to follow: for example, according to the data published by the Russian Political Culture Research Center, the changes were supported by 35%, while 37% was against.

Looking at the statistics, some might doubt that the results of the referendum might be a foregone conclusion. But things work differently in Russia. Putin himself went on record saying that they could have passed these changes on their own, but wanted to make it subject to the “will of the people”. Obviously this gives the whole thing an air of legitimacy, duping the Russian population into thinking that they actually matter and participate in country’s political life. And exactly for this reason, the referendum was supported by exactly the percentage that Putin and his system deemed necessary.

And if you needed yet more proof the changes would be supported, you might have been pleasantly surprised to discover that the new edition of the Russian Constitution is already in print.

The Political Process in Georgia OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

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hat kind of a political course have we had in Georgia in the last thirty years? My unequivocal answer is: not completely comprehensible to the average mind and not very favorable for the wellbeing of this nation, as multiethnic and many-sided as the world knows it. And I want to be responsible for this ruthless atmospheric evaluation! In the wake of the excruciating soviet demise, an attempt to make a checks-and-balances type of governance was made, but it has never worked for real. Having created the classic western model of a threebranch rule, the system up until now remains in a mode of permanent repair: as for the legislative branch, Robert Stevenson’s maxim ‘We all know what parliament is, and we are all ashamed of it’ does not lose its effect in Georgia; the executive branch has tried hard, but the current national idea of territorial integrity is at standstill; the independence of the judicial branch is still subject to discussion; and the overall political culture often needs to be further cultivated by our western friends exactly as a caring parent would patiently shape the char-

acter of his or her recalcitrant child.

No doubt, and thank God, that Georgia’s political life flows freely along the channel of inextinguishable controversy between the ruling power and its opposition, but their ideological discourse is too loud, excessively rancorous, overly revengeful and, most regretfully, lacking constructivity. The impression is that the entire dialogue between the opposed sides is out of kilter. In their conversation, the most observant part of the electorate cannot hear the logic that would help the nation out of the quagmire it has found itself in.

What people hear is just the contrary to what helps build the national welfare.

There is nothing easier than holding the government responsible for every single rustle in the country, and purposefully blowing its trivial misdoings into calamitous errors. It would also be fair to note that mocking the opposition and ignoring its critique, no matter how deviated it might be, will never be considered as a reasonable governmental attitude.

Georgia’s political discourse has never been balanced: this is one of our national drawbacks, slowing the progress of the country. And this is so plain and obvious that even the least educated and politically uninformed person would say so without my prompting it from an elevated journalistic platform. Yes, all of us are

Image source: Leung Pomui/Pintrest

in an absolute consensus that that there is something wrong with the 30-year old democratic political process in Georgia, but none of us has the capability to write

up a remedial prescription to right the wrong.

Isn’t it amazing, and sad too, that a nation with an early-medieval statehood,

reading the best of the world’s philosophical and literary opuses in its own tongue, depends on the diplomatic corps, accredited in the country, to solve elementary political squabbles? The helping hand of a friend is always welcome, but not at every step of the way. Why is it so difficult to know the sores on the body of the nation and to take mutual pains to heal them without backstabbing each other at every possible occasion? Wouldn’t this be much more sensible than frazzled everyday insinuations against one another? Nobody is saying that the fight of the ruling power and its opposition has to be a love affair, but it is also true that their unconstructive struggle is destroying the nation.

The other day, I stumbled on a funny phrase in the American press: “Trump gets Trumpier,” a new similarity between our and American politics: the opposition gets more oppositional and the government becomes more governmental every second of the current political process in Georgia, within which the fermentation of political thoughts, human feelings, constitutional changes, economic proposals, social alterations, juridical fluctuations and cultural shocks a become a whirlpool which has the scary potential to suck in the entire nation without even leaving a trace on the surface.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

5

Freudenstein: The EU Has Knowledge about Russia, but Doesn’t Use It Enough

BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

A

s the West eyed warily the lining-up of Russians to cast a vote in favor of the constitutional changes that would see President Putin in power until he gets bored with it, GEORGIA TODAY spoke with Roland Freudenstein, Head of Research and Deputy Director of the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies, on just what the West has to do to solve the Russia Conundrum.

WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT WOULD SHAPE THE WEST-RUSSIA CONUNDRUM FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, QUESTIONS THE WEST WILL HAVE TO ANSWER? The questions would be: is the West still able to define what is the West?

What I mean is: in Europe, between Europe and North America, and with other democracies around the globe, are we able to clearly define what liberal democracy stands for, and defend it against all authoritarian systems, of which Russia is one and China is quickly catching up? Do we still have a common base? Do we have a definition of what “the West” is? Further, are we ready to make real sacrifices in terms of violent conflict and military defense? Is the West still capable of credibly deterring a threat from the outside? This has been a very acute question ever since 2014 when Russia was rattling its saber and making threats.

WEST” MIGHT YET BE A REALISTIC SCENARIO. WOULD IT NOT BE MORE REALISTIC TO ASSUME THAT SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN IN RUSSIA THAT GIVES THE WEST HOPES THAT THIS “RENAISSANCE” HAPPENED, AND YET HISTORY WILL CONTINUE TO REPEAT ITSELF?

ONE THING IS WHETHER THE WEST IS CAPABLE, AND ANOTHER WHETHER IT IS WILLING TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. Deterrence rests on three things: the capacity to defend yourself, the willingness to defend yourself, and the willingness to communicate number one and number two to a potential aggressor.

The West has been doing the third to a certain extent at different NATO summits and so on, but as for number one and number two, I’d say there are very strong doubts. Deterrence requires all three, and I think we have to critically ask ourselves whether we have done enough in these two areas, willingness and capacity-wise, to defend ourselves.

AND IF THE ANSWER WERE “MAYBE WE HAVEN'T”, WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THE WEST TO BE PROMPTED TO DO ENOUGH? It takes collective effort, it takes leadership, it takes politicians who will tell people, “guys, we are looking at tough times, but times will get much tougher than this in the long run if we don't get our act together on deterring potential aggressors.” That takes leadership, and politicians are not doing this sufficiently, especially in Europe.

HAS THE WEST FINALLY COME TO ENOUGH OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF RUSSIA THAT WILL LEAD TO EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE POLICIES? No, and that’s the fourth big critical question the West has to ask itself: have we done enough to get to know Russia,

Possible, but with mutual improvement in transatlantic relations, for example after a change in the White House in 2021, we’ll also have the chance to become more resilient, and that would be decisive for a more robust attitude vis-à-vis aggressors. and especially to listen to those countries in the West which have some experience with Russia? I'm referring to the Baltic countries, the whole eastern flank of the European Union and NATO, but also including Georgia and Ukraine, and you know these countries were very often in the last 20 years belittled; considered as traumatized by their historical experience with Russia; biased by their painful history. It was extremely unfair. So, I think we do have knowledge about Russia inside the European Union and NATO, but we're not using it often enough because we don’t take the people who warn us about Russia seriously.

DOES THIS KNOWLEDGE SHAPE-SHIFT THE FURTHER YOU GO FROM WEST TO EAST? We do have a paradox in this knowledge, and a robust attitude to Russia, because it is not anymore a clean east/west split.

Countries like Hungary, a former communist country, are only too willing to

cooperate with Russia these days: when it comes to jointly bashing the democratically elected government of Ukraine, Hungary is only too happy to cooperate with the Kremlin. The old rule was that the further east you go inside the European Union, the more countries reject Russia and want to have a robust attitude towards the Kremlin. This rule no longer always applies, and countries even further east, such as Georgia…well, not every Georgian politician over here is equally aware of the dangers of Russia and of Russian imperialism I would say.

OR EQUALLY EAGER TO CONFRONT IT? Exactly. It’s not clear calculus that the further east you go, the more critical and knowledgeable of Russia a country is.

YOU WRITE THAT THE “RENAISSANCE OF THE

REGARDING THE C-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR MAJOR GEOPOLITICAL POWERS: WHO IS COMING OUT AS A WINNER SO FAR, IN POLITICAL TERMS? It’s really too early to say. The crisis has lasted three months so far, and it will take years to assess who came out better. At the moment, in terms of patients and also in terms of the economy, it looks like North America and Europe were hit worse than China; but then Russia has also been hit very badly and you have no idea of what the economic consequences are going to be. The only thing I can say is it's wrong to be defeatist and it's wrong to be complacent: defeatist would mean saying the Chinese are winning, and complacent that the West has triumphed. Neither is true.

The truth is somewhere in the middle, and it would be dangerous to be complacent, which is why we must keep on trying to beat this.

Address: N42 I. Abashidze T:595 50 39 30 facebook.com/thaiboxtbilisi

THE NEW CRAFT OF TASTE

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POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

Contemporary Int’l Relations & Georgia’s Possible Response: Challenges, Risks, Answers. Part 1 OP-ED BY VICTOR KIPIANI, GEOCASE, CHAIR

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he end of WWI and, later, the 21st century itself, created quite a few mind twisters in international relations. The number of unanswered questions has significantly increased, and the number of clear and unambiguous answers has decreased.

As a result, global politics have fallen hostage to extremely risky initiatives and decisions, and the very basis of the world order and international stability has shattered and become dangerously vulnerable. In addition, as if the boiling temperature of global affairs was not enough, the current pandemic has cornered the practitioners and researchers of international relations and is pushing them to make quick decisions under considerable Zeitnot.

Yet the need for a large-scale rearrangement is not new. Every multinational or global crisis is a form of creative destruction, so to speak, and results in the emergence of something new which in some places is positive but in others not. This assumption can be proven by naming just a few of these “destructions”. In the United States, for example, the Great Depression was followed by the New Deal that ultimately prepared the country for WW2.

In turn, the subsequent Allied victory and the outbreak of the Cold War led to the establishment of a new and durable international system based upon the Bretton Woods system. More recently, the Great Recession of 2008-09, the Eurozone crisis, Brexit and the rise of populism are also threatening to overturn the world order, replacing illusory hopes and amorphous ideals with more pragmatic rationalism and realism.

It is a fact that, in our post-COVID world, global assessments will be based upon new sets of priorities and criteria.

Managing international relations with relatively new emerging actors such as transnational corporations will encourage a new re-evaluation of the roles and influence of nation states and bring them to fore. At this stage of history, the repetition of ‘nationalism’ is deservedly the focus of special attention since, compared to previous centuries, when relations between states played the dominant role in the formation of global processes, our current military, political, economic, technological, human and informational resources are diametrically different.

Even the so-called ‘first wave’ created more than enough mind twisters for superpowers, regional powers, medium actors and small nations alike. I will also repeat that the problems of the emerging new world order are compounded by the difficult inheritance of the many unanswered and unsolved challenges of the Cold War period.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly being discussed, which is extremely alarming due to the geo-political and geo-economic consequences it will have. It could be said that a certain form of symbiosis pushed academic and research circles to suggest new experimental solutions, whereas decision-makers were left facing a wide and often unorthodox choice. Practically speaking, the crisis of 2008, the kaleidoscope of America’s domestic and foreign policies, turbulence in the Eurozone and China’s ambition to achieve Eurasian hegemony have laid the foundation for a deep and irreversible rearrangement of contemporary international relations.

As a country in a complicated region at the crossroads of bilateral and often mutually exclusive interests, it is therefore vital that we never lose sight of current threats and that we regularly prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s risks.

Georgia must develop a series of preventive measures based upon the knowledge and competence that are necessary for the country to successfully continue to develop as a nation and as a state, and

Image source: belindablue.co.nz

must closely monitor ongoing developments in her neighborhood and beyond with the goal of maintaining freedom and stability in the region. Such preparations should have begun a long time ago, but halting them today would be a quasi-criminal form of negligence.

THE AFTERSHOCKS OF GREAT GEO-POLITICAL REARRANGEMENTS A comprehensive list of these would obviously be quite long. Our aim, however, is to identify those important problems which might not only influence a specific country or region, but also transform our current system, or perhaps even create a new one, thereby leading to the establishment of a new world order. There is a widespread belief that discussing this question must first of all begin with the United States, and in this regard we will not be an exception, for we are not only talking out of curiosity and academic interest. The geopolitical positioning of this super-state is of pivotal importance in the context of global relations, and indeed dictates the focus and calibration of Georgia’s national interests.

Since its triumph over the Soviet Union, Washington has always struggled to build a new set of consistent and feasible rules for the post-Cold War era. The elimination of the Warsaw Pact without direct kinetic conflict and the establishment of a Pax Americana led to the euphoria of a Cold War victory as well as overly optimistic expectations regarding our world’s future development. In this regard, just mentioning Fukuyama’s The End of History and The Last Man would be enough proof of the unrelenting movement of the wheel of history along a more idealist path, far from reality. The feeling was that all the obstacles to the expansion of the liberal order had finally been removed, and that nothing would prevent the emergence of new members in its orbit. But for the sake of objectiveness, it should be pointed out that this process was certainly not mere feeling and perception: its successful accomplishment is manifest in the eastwards expansion of NATO and the European Union.

It is also a fact that this process was accompanied by certain specificities of that period, but discussing the latter here would lead us astray from the main point.

The prime message here is that the absence of any real resistance confused

Western democracies as they sought to identify precise tasks, and later hampered the accumulation of the resources needed in order to achieve these aims. This was perhaps most clearly revealed during the presidency of George W. Bush, especially in the aftermath of 9-11. This date was a turning point for American foreign policy, whose main characteristic has been the intensity of U.S. involvement in various military conflicts and campaigns. In short, the task of the presidential administrations that followed became achieving total security with the help of a wider structural and intellectual format, whose primary element is direct and immediate local military involvement alongside social engineering and nation-building in authoritarian states or even in countries with experience of state building.

Many contemporary American experts believe that this choice was a big mistake, since it has led to several fundamentally negative consequences such as the disconnection between goals and resources; serious attacks on universal ideals and the principles of freedom and democracy; giving populist and antidemocratic forces (exploiting differences in color and identity) a unique opportunity to artificially spark and lead antiAmerican and anti-Western campaigns; etc. These processes have slowly but surely laid the foundations for the changes which we are faced with nowadays.

In this minor historical retrospective, it is important to mention that even during the Obama administration, i.e. before Trump, the American government was trying to reconcile the foreign message of ‘No, we don’t want that’ with the domestic ‘Yes, we can’. It is no coincidence that Obama has been described as an ‘ideological liberal with conservative character’. The eclectic nature of this phrase could be explained by the fact that the Obama administration finally rejected direct military involvement in local conflicts. Obama was sometimes quite controversial in this regard, at first decreasing and later increasing U.S. military forces in the hot spots of the Middle East, and officially distinguishing between America’s ‘essential strategic’ and ‘peripheral’ interests. Many observers mocked this policy as ‘neither war nor peace’, and it is true that announcing a ‘red line’ in Syria and then doing nothing about it justifies this quip. But the main message here is different: the U.S. began to consider the possibility of

reducing America’s responsibility to ‘transform the world’ to an absolute minimum long before Trump’s policy of ‘America First’.

TODAY’S POLITICAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT The historical context can really help us to understand big issues; without it, the object of our discussion would have been torn out and incomplete. Current affairs such as increased U.S. military spending and unsuccessful attempts at ‘state building’ in certain regions, and most importantly the American people’s confusion regarding their country’s foreign policy and mission as well as the pandemic and the economic crisis it is causing have led to heated debate between the adherents of traditional U.S. foreign policy and the proponents of a 21st-century isolationism.

The latter formulation is not totally justified, but it essentially resonates with Donald Trump’s political line, which preaches that the U.S should spend more on its own national agenda and only go beyond it in case of special needs dictated by American interests. (This ‘U-turn towards itself’ is also supported by the country’s perfect location for self-defense: as a French diplomat once put it, the United States are ‘surrounded by weak countries to the North and South, and by fish to the West and East’.) Yet this political trend is multifaceted and has several important exceptions, whose general characteristics and attributes I shall now discuss.

Some experts and researchers have recently been calling more frequently for the establishment of a doctrine of ‘offshore balance’ in foreign policy, whose essence, in short, is that in order to further the country’s interests while avoiding extra expenses and risk, the United States will withdraw from the balance of regional powers. More precisely, in order to act in their strategic or tactical interests in a specific region, the United States will rely upon a local ally or allies and will only intervene militarily if the latter fail to stop an undesirable country (from the American point of view) from establishing its own hegemony over the region.

In practical terms, America’s allies must deal with regional security issues themselves while Washington supplies them with intelligence and financial and logistical aid—everything, in a word, short of a military presence. This doctrine is nothing new, however, and was included in the political agenda by Sen-

ator Taft shortly after the end of the Second World War; but Taft and his supporters were unable to create a convincing analogue to the ‘offshore balance doctrine’ at that time, and following Eisenhower’s victory in the presidential elections of 1952 and the dislocation of the American military contingent in Europe under the NATO umbrella, this doctrine in any case lost its relevance.

From a practical point of view, Trump’s determination to refocus the foreign vector of the United States is fundamentally changing regional distributions of power (and possibly even on a global scale). The results of this approach include a distancing from the challenges of a Western hemisphere exclusively ‘secured’ by the Monroe doctrine; the creation of a safety belt based upon regional or situational partners on condition of fewer threats and expenses for Americans; getting rid of ‘free riders’ of America’s safety guarantees; shifting the main expenses towards regional partners; avoiding excessive and useless military conflicts; and U.S. withdrawal from ‘unnatural’ alliances.

This briefly depicted foreign policy course is backed up by its own theoretical platform known as ‘realism’. Realists do not hide their dissatisfaction with current geopolitics and America’s position, and call for a fundamental revision.

In order to better explain the idea behind foreign policy realism, I will name a few examples capable of explaining cardinal changes as well as mechanisms for the pragmatic development of a Georgian action plan.

Realists, both theorists and practitioners, believe that America’s domination of the Western hemisphere should remain untouched; that the direct military involvement of the US or regional partners is acceptable in confrontation with China; that Carter’s doctrine of ‘attachment to the Middle East’s oil’ should end and be replaced with a maneuvering of forces among regional powers; that the experiment of ‘building’ Afghanistan must end; that Syria’s ‘periphery’ dictates Russian responsibility; that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are deterrents to Iran in the region; that unconditional support of Israel must end; that the countries of Europe should be responsible for their own security; and that the collective security systems that followed the Second World War must be revised.

Continued in next week’s GT.

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

7

History of Georgia’s Economy. Part I

BY APOLON TABUASHVILI, EMIL AVDALIANI

A

griculture was the leading branch of production in medieval Georgia (lasting until the 15th cc.). Although, at that time, there were cities in Georgia and other developed countries where trade and craftsmanship were widespread, the vast majority of the population still lived in rural areas and mainly survived through agriculture.

Under such conditions, the cultivation of land and harvest emanating from it were a major source of wealth. Consequently, it could be argued that the land was the main means of production in medieval Georgia.

During the period of developed feudalism, the land belonged to the Georgian king, secular feudal lords and churchmonasteries. Most of the population, peasants, also belonged to them, and the majority of the agricultural lands were given to the peasants with the right to permanent use. The peasant's agricultural unit can be roughly translated as the "peasant base", which was a plot of arable land approximately 5.5-6 ha. in size, and which also included one vineyard (0.3-0.5 ha). A considerable part of the land belonged to the King, secular feudal lords, and churches/monasteries, which were cultivated through the peasants' labor tax. Thus, the arable land fund was mainly concentrated in the small "peasant base" and in the personal farms of the feudal lords.

Since bread was the main product in the diet (about 1.5 kg of bread per day was necessary for one adult man) of the population in medieval Georgia and other states of the time, cereals were grown on most agricultural lands. Accordingly, these crops occupied approximately 60-70% of the cultivated land.

The production of wheat or other corns on the territory of Georgia was quite developed for centuries. This, together

Image source: brewminate.com

with fertile lands, was the result of the constant improvement in plowing weapons and the construction of irrigation systems. According to 18th century data, the harvest in eastern Georgia happened eight times and 600 kilograms of grain were taken from 1 (0.5 ha) land daily, which is one of the highest data in the world at that time.

We have no information on the overall agricultural yield from pre-feudal and feudal Georgia. Relatively late data gives the following information: at the end of the 16th century, more than 74 million kg of cereals was grown in SamtskheSaatabago (in present day Turkey); and more than 115 million kg in Kartli-Kakheti at the beginning of 19th century. Accordingly, Georgia was self-sufficient in terms of grain products. At the same time, the price of wheat and other cereals was

lower in Georgia than in other countries.

Due to the devastating invasions, there was a shortage of products in the country from time to time, and the price increased, although such facts did not seem systemic, and it was the great wealth that ensured the longevity of the small country in the face of aggression from large states. This wealth, among other factors, led to the preservation of national identity.

Based on the fact that in the coastal zone of western Georgia wheat was less plentiful, mainly low-grain cereals (ghomi) was cultivated. Corn (maize) was cultivated from the 17th century.

The dynamics of prices testify that in the era of the unity of the Georgian state, large quantities of wheat were imported from Kartli-Kakheti and Samtskhe-Saatabago to western Georgia. In the 16th-

18th centuries, wheat became more expensive in western Georgia due to the severance of economic ties between the two parts of the state. The unions of western and eastern Georgia were restored in the late 18th century, which led to an equalization of wheat prices.

In feudal Georgia, after the production of cereals, the main place belonged to viticulture and winemaking, due to the role of wine in the daily life of the population. In ancient Georgia, wine was used not only for holidays and funeral banquets, but also for primary consumption. Wine was so important that it was consumed even during military mobilization. Small amounts of wine were the main components of the diet at the time, and men usually drank up to 1 liter of wine per day. Consequently, large quantities of wine were brought from the

peasants‘ small vineyards and feudal lords, much of which was used for personal consumption and some for sale in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities. Wine was also an export commodity. Ivane Javakhishvili's research confirms that there were 420 vine types spread in different parts of ancient Georgia. In feudal Georgia, many varieties of different soils and climate conditions led to the appearance of many types of wines.

According to various sources, the harvest in feudal Georgia increased gradually, and where in the 12th-13th centuries from 1 vineyard up to 800 liters of wine were produced, in the 18th century the figure stood at more than 1200 liters.

According to the statistics of the beginning of 19th century, the country produced around 50 million liters of wine.

All this indicates the high development and constant progress in this specific field.

Other branches of intensive farming in Georgia during the feudal era were also properly developed. Legumes: sorghum, lentils, peas, and from the 17th centurybeans. Rice cultivation was also widespread, which would have originated in eastern Georgia from Iran in the 9th century, while much earlier in western Georgia. In some parts of Georgia, other plants such as flax, hemp, and cotton were intensively cultivated from ancient times.

Other plants were available in Georgia: onions, garlic, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, mustard etc. Some of the named crops were brought to Georgia in ancient times, while others came relatively late. There were also many orchards in the country, and various types of fruits were common, including peaches, apples, pomegranates, mulberries, grapes, figs, pears, walnuts, lemons, olives, and chestnuts.

Thus, agriculture in Georgia was properly developed in the feudal era. It is also noteworthy that in the 16th-18th centuries, despite the deterioration of the political situation in the country, various sectors of agriculture not only failed to collapse, but even progressed.

SOCIETY

Confronting the Silent & Endemic Crisis of Harmful Practices

U

rgent, accelerated action is needed to stop female genital mutilation, child marriage, and other practices that harm women and girls, says the new UNFPA report.

Every year, millions of girls around the world are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities, according to the State of World Population 2020, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

At least 19 harmful practices, ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing, are considered human rights violations, according to the UNFPA report, which focuses on the three most prevalent ones: female genital mutilation, child marriage, and extreme bias against daughters in favour of sons.

“Harmful practices against girls cause profound and lasting trauma, robbing them of their right to reach their full potential,” says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem.

This year, an estimated 4.1 million girls will be subjected to female genital mutilation. Today, 33,000 girls under age 18 will be forced into marriages, usually to much older men. Also, an extreme preference for sons over daughters in some countries has fueled gender-biased sex selection or extreme neglect that leads to their death as children, resulting in 140 million “missing females.”

In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, child marriage is generally illegal and on the decline overall, but is still practiced widely in parts of the region (up to 15% of women were married before they turned 18 in some countries; and in

some communities one in two women was married as a child).

Son preference also remains common in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, resulting in heavily imbalanced sex-at-birth ratios in parts of the South Caucasus and South-East Europe, as many more boys are born there than girls.

Countries that have ratified interna-

tional treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child have a duty to end the harm. Many have responded with laws, but laws alone are not enough.

Decades of experience and research show that bottom-up, grassroots approaches are better at bringing change, the UNFPA report states.

“These harmful practices have one root cause in common: the widespread and

persistent under-valuing of girls and women,” says Alanna Armitage, UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “But we are seeing that social norms are shifting in the right direction, and there is a real chance that working together – governments, civil society, influencers and role models – we can make practices harming girls a thing of the past.”

Programs to change discriminatory social norms are effective in eliminating harmful practices, but they must not focus narrowly on just these practices.

Rather, they should address the broader issues at play, including the subordinate position of women and girls, their human rights, and how to elevate their status and access to opportunities, the report says.

Globally, ending child marriage and female genital mutilation worldwide is possible within 10 years by scaling up efforts to keep girls in school longer and teach them life skills and to engage men and boys in social change. Investments totaling $3.4 billion a year through 2030 would end these two harmful practices and end the suffering of an estimated 84 million girls, the report shows.

While progress has been made in ending some harmful practices worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse gains. A recent analysis revealed that if services and programs remain shuttered for six months, an additional 13 million girls may be forced into marriage and 2 million more girls may be subjected to female genital mutilation between now and 2030.

The pandemic may increase the risk of forced early marriage as a strategy to reduce the economic burdens in the family. And lockdowns, school closures and movement restrictions are disrupting adolescent girls’ routines and their support systems.

“The pandemic puts more girls at risk and threatens to undermine the progress we’ve made,” Armitage says. “We must redouble our efforts to ensure that girls everywhere are fully able to enjoy their rights, make choices about their lives and their bodies.”

8

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

GT Live Interview with UNICEF-Georgia Representative, Ghassan Khalil

BY TEAM GT

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o find out how COVID-19 has affected Georgia’s children and education system, and the work being done to support those affected by the pandemic, GEORGIA TODAY’s Editor-in-Chief Katie Ruth Davies, as part of the GT LIVE INTERVIEWS series, spoke to UNICEF Georgia Representative Ghassan Khalil.

WHAT WERE UNICEF GEORGIA’S FIRST STEPS ONCE COVID-19 STARTED TO SPREAD? WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CONCERNS AT THIS POINT? COVID-19 took everyone by surprise.

No-one was prepared for this pandemic, and UNICEF Georgia was no exception.

But we started adapting quickly, with a wonderful team that I would like to thank now for their efforts. We started immediately prioritizing and re-programming what we’d been doing, what we call the regular program. We had very close contact with our counterparts and with their excellent interaction, and building on a social capital and professional capital with the counterparts and donors, we were quite fast in re-programming and being able to start responding very quickly.

So far, more than 800 families have been supported directly by our office, seeing us able to provide practical support of dry food and essential aid to minorities and the most vulnerable children and families in remote areas and local communities. I would also like to use this opportunity to congratulate the Government of Georgia on its great efforts made and concrete results achieved. Georgia is seen now as the country with one of the best practices in fighting COVID-19, and we are proud that UNICEF has been a part of the truly wonderful partnerships we have with our counterparts, starting from the NCDC, all the ministries and departments, and also donors who trust UNCIEF and continue to support us to respond appropriately to his pandemic.

TELL US ABOUT THE UNICEFPRODUCED MULTI-SCENARIO INTERACTIVE PROJECTION TOOL AND HOW IT WAS APPLIED IN GEORGIA. This is the product of a talented team which we are implementing on lead exposure in the blood, which is a problem in many countries. And the Georgian government was very eager to search for solutions and sources of the pathways of lead. So, when the pandemic started, a talented team started working on the development of a projection tool. This tool is very useful for the government to understand and predict the needs which are essential. The National Center for Disease Control has been using this

tool and we are glad that in Armenia also, they started using the same tool.

HOW HAS UNICEF GEORGIA HELPED PARENTS? WE HEARD ABOUT THE ’15DAY CHALLENGE’ AND TV PROGRAMS ON GEORGIAN PUBLIC BROADCASTER. The ‘15-day Challenge’ is one of the practical support areas that UNICEF has provided. It was planned to last 15 days, and then, based on its success, was extended by another 15 days. It is very simple, but at the same time, provides parents with very concrete and practical advice on how to entertain their children when “locked-down” at home, and also how to keep their learning ongoing. This is one of the most valuable experiences that UNICEF has been able to provide.

But also, with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, there was a program developed for families who have children with disabilities. It was yet another success, the parents were able to receive very practical advice on how to manage the needs, and educational needs, of their children.

Now, social media allows us to get into every home, more so than TV, and UNICEF took advantage of the digital applications and facilities to make sure that we reach families and provide them with practical advice.

HOW HAS UNICEF BEEN HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE TO COPE DURING THE PANDEMIC? Young people have perhaps suffered most from this pandemic. Due to school closures, cancelation of events, they’ve been missing out the most important moments of their lives. UNICEF initiated two main projects for young people.

The first was socio-social support, a hotline providing advice for them and their parents. At the same time, with the Parliament, the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, and the Mission Head of the State Care Agency, we designed, agreed and signed, and it will be launched very soon, a service for young people who become addicted to gambling. This is an extremely important and crucial service for young children.

This will be a part of the 111 hotline, and when people call, they will be offered specialized advice, socio-social support and consulting when needed. The UNICEF-supported 111 hotline has helped a lot of families who reached out for social or other kinds of assistance, who have been affected by the pandemic.

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR ADVOCACY VIDEOS AND ONLINE CONSULTATIONS. When the pandemic started, one of the programs we initiated was remote consultations for pregnant women. During the pandemic, it was very risky for pregnant women to go to a clinic, so UNICEF implemented a program with the Ministry of Health to offer remote consultations. We plan to reach all pregnant

women in the country with this service.

The health program has also been helping with the development of new protocols for immunization, for breast feeding, etc. Medical supplies and health products have been also procured by UNICEF and distributed to hospitals and clinics, especially those which have been assigned for COVID-19 patients.

One specific interest of UNICEF which has been ongoing for a long time, and we are working on during the pandemic, is to empower the capabilities of rural healthcare centers. This is extremely important, so empowering primary healthcare centers is a part of our COVID19 response. Online consultations, remote interactions, even distance learning about health practices will continue between families and doctors.

Distance learning is an opportunity we have to take advantage of, to make sure that every child gets a chance to access quality education. This is one of the things I know that the Ministry of Education is working on. We have to think about the children who do not have access to the internet and computers, 15,400 of them in Georgia. The government is definitely thinking about them.

And even if 100% of children go back to school, which we hope, we should not go back to learning practices we have had in the last years. We should learn from this crisis, and we should keep the good things which we have learned and practiced.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR VIEW ON GEORGIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM? WHAT IS UNICEF’S POSITION TOWARDS REOPENING THE SCHOOLS?

I think for Georgia and the whole world, the main challenge is now understanding what will happen next. We are working very closely with WHO, with the UN agencies, as finding out how the virus will evolve is extremely important.

Having said this, learning adaptability has to be very high. To survive properly and to be able to provide quality services for children, young people, and families, all systems, be they government or from civil society, have to be highly adaptive to the changes. This is the first challenge. We do not know exactly how the situation will look in a few months from now but UNICEF, knows that whatever the situation is, we’ve been working towards upholding the best practices for children.

Speaking about the interests of children, I would like to recall a very impor-

UNICEF is very clear about the re-opening of schools. Our position is that children need the school system because they need to interact with other classmates, with teachers, and this is very good for their socio-sociological wellbeing. It is important to mention that there is no evidence to connect disease transmission and whether schools are open or closed, but there are overwhelming negative impacts that the closure of schools will have on children. UNICEF supports children going back to school safely. There are very concrete and clear guidelines to help the government reopen schools safely. Physical distancing, appropriate water and sanitary facilities, essential hygiene supplies.

And we all have to train ourselves.

Children need to be trained to keep social distance from their classmates. Not only keeping distance: even adults need to train themselves to regularly wash their hands, to use sanitizers and face masks when needed. All members of society will have to adapt and get used to the new practices.

In Georgia, 165,000 preschool children and 592,000 school age children have been kept at home during the pandemic.

And despite great efforts from the Ministry of Education, there are children who miss school completely. Some of these children either belong to minority groups or live in high mountainous areas, when there are no schools, so they need to go to towns to learn there. UNICEF always advocates to keep families together.

WHICH CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE AHEAD, SPECIFICALLY FOR GEORGIA?

tant upcoming milestone for Georgia, which is September 1, the date of the entry into force the historic Code on the Rights of the Child in Georgia. UNICEF worked very closely with Parliament’s Human Rights Committee to develop it.

We congratulated Parliament on its adoption on 20 September 2019. The philosophy of this code is the best interests of a child, which means that every day and every minute, we have to re-evaluate every situation and make sure that we are working for and achieving the best interests of our children.

Unfortunately, there are issues related to child poverty in Georgia. We see the child poverty rate is increasing worldwide due to COVID-19. Georgia has put a lot of efforts into reducing child poverty. Now, there should be more efforts made in order to prevent child poverty from increasing. There is a target social assistance program in Georgia, and it has to become stronger now. In 2019, the government responded positively to UNICEF recommendations, and increased child benefits in the target social assistance program. Now, UNICEF is supporting the evaluation of this program. This evaluation will show the needs of this program to cover more profiles.

Further, UNICEF recently supported the government in conducting a shortresponse assessment to understand how people have been affected by COVID-19 and what policies are necessary to support them. All these assessments will provide the government with the ability to make informed decisions relevant to the situation, to help children and the most vulnerable families in Georgia.

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

9

She Counts: Simple Truth to End Harmful Practices against Women & Girls

A

lanna Armitage, Regional Director, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Bjorn Andersson, Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

In a village in remote far-western Nepal, Rachana Sunar fought her father’s plans to marry her off when she was barely 15, pursuing higher studies instead. Today she’s an internationally renowned advocate fighting child marriage and pushing to strengthen women’s rights.

In Azerbaijan, where traditional social norms persist and the birth of a boy is still widely preferred to that of a girl, Janoghlan Ilyasov is a prominent public speaking champion who leads workshops encouraging men to examine their attitudes towards women and girls, helping them understand the harmful effects of son preference. But his most cherished role is loving father to his one-year-old daughter.

Though the soil they stand on and their languages and faiths may differ, Rachana and Janoghlan share a similar conviction - that girls are worthy of love and care, are provided the opportunities to make their own choices and allowed to decide their own future.

But in many places, there are far too few people like them leading the change.

Belief systems grounded in gender inequality continue to shape social norms and harmful practices that rob girls and women of the ability to exercise their rights and make choices governing their own bodies and lives.

Child marriage remains widespread across swathes of Eurasia, in countries ranging from India, Bangladesh and Nepal to Georgia, Turkey and Albania. 30 per cent of women aged 20-24 in South Asia, 7 per cent in East Asia and Pacific, and 12 per cent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia were married under the age of 18.

Son preference leading to gender-biased sex selection is well documented in South Asia, China and Viet Nam, as well as in the South Caucasus and parts of Southeastern Europe – contributing significantly to the demographic crisis triggered by an estimated 140 million “missing girls” globally, resulting in dangerously lopsided ratios of men to women.

In recent decades, a number of frameworks and agreements, grounded in gender equality and human rights, have been used to combat these harmful practices, including the landmark 1994 ICPD Programme of Action agreed upon by 179 governments with its vision of rights and choices for all, integral to achieving the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Concerted advocacy from civil society and government champions supported by the UN have resulted in countries passing laws and measures meant to protect girls and women from these and other harms. While implementation has been inconsistent, tangible gains have occurred over time.

There’s been gradual progress in

addressing harmful social and gender norms. Engaging parents, communities and religious leaders has reduced genderbiased sex selection.

Raising awareness across societies has also allowed more girls to avoid child marriage, complete their education, avail of economic opportunities and strengthen their chances of achieving their full potential.

We have seen greater access to essential information and services for girls and women, including in the sphere of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

Many governments are collecting better data on harmful practices, strengthening the evidence base for change and for what works in programming at the

national and sub-national levels.

But we need to do much more.

This year UNFPA’s flagship State of World Population report, Against Her Will, focuses on harmful practices globally, and offers some urgent recommendations to tackle them.

We need an integrated approach to harmful practices – recognising their interlinked root causes and addressing them as a whole, rather than piecemeal.

We need to reframe the narrative – explicitly recognising that these practices are egregious human rights violations, rather than casting them as traditional or cultural practices which is often used to justify them.

In this vein, we must also explicitly recognise that gender equality is at the

heart of the issue – that the low value of girls and women is what underpins harmful practices globally.

To governments and policymakers, and indeed to societies everywhere, the report sends a clear message: She counts.

We must stop treating girls and women like commodities to be traded or objects to be controlled, and afford them the same rights and opportunities as boys and men.

Communities must stand for equal rights for girls so they can stay in school, prepare for employment, learn about their choices, and shape their own lives.

Men must use their privilege to raise the value of girls and demand the equal treatment of girls and boys.

Economies and legal systems must guarantee all women equal opportunities to build a decent life based on equality, autonomy, dignity and choice.

And governments must honour the international agreements they have signed to protect women and girls’ rights and reproductive choices and end harmful practices definitively for once and for all.

As we write this, our world continues to grapple with the fallout of COVID-19.

UNFPA estimates warn that the pandemic will disrupt planned efforts to end child marriage and cause far-reaching economic consequences, likely resulting in an additional 13 million child marriages globally that otherwise would not have occurred from 2020 to 2030.

The pandemic’s socioeconomic impact, along with a disruption in contraceptive supply chains, will contribute to unintentional pregnancies that could in turn exacerbate gender-biased sex selection.

In seeking to “build back better”, countries must put women and girls at the centre of their efforts.

Out of the current crisis we have a chance to refocus attention on ending harmful practices for once and for all.

Millions of futures depend on what we do at this very moment. Let us not squander this opportunity.

UNFPA is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, seeking to achieve zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls.

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SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

USAID-Supported Civics Club Shows How Youth Can Contribute to COVID-19 Response

BY TEAM GT

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has shined a light on one of USAID’s guiding principles: for communities and societies to be resilient against threats, whether conflicts, economic crises, or a pandemic, citizens need to step up and take responsibility. USAID’s Momavlis Taoba (‘Future Generation’) activity is a nationwide program that encourages secondary school students to participate in community service.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, members of civics clubs have made a difference in communities across the country, including in Kvatsikhe, a village in Chiatura Municipality.

worthwhile: “They [residents of Kvatsikhe] did not believe that students could make any significant changes.”

This changed quickly, due to the efforts of Ilia and his fellow students: “Their attitude changed drastically when they saw the results of the information campaigns we carried out on critical issues for the community.”

Vector has since carried out activities aimed at addressing specific problems, such as cleaning up public areas and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

“The members of our civics club always try to do interesting and important activities for our school and community.

While we do these initiatives, we learn a lot of things that are not taught in school,” said Giga Gvaladze, one of the club’s members.

STUDENT-LED GROUP ADDRESSES COMMUNITY ISSUES

CIVICS CLUB CONNECTS CITIZENS WITH ANSWERS ABOUT COVID-19

Public school students formed the Kvatsikhe Civics Club in 2018 as a way to make a positive difference in their community. They named the club ‘Vector’ and set the goal of raising public awareness about important social issues through informational videos, stories, and online training activities. One of the civics club’s first initiatives was creating a Facebook page – ‘Civil Media’ - where students could participate in open discussions and reach out to different groups within the community, both in Chiatura Municipality and in other regions of Georgia.

In the early days, says the club’s leader Ilia Kipshidze, members had to convince their neighbors that these activities were

When COVID-19 came to Georgia, Vector snapped into action. Seeing that many members of the community lacked accurate public health information, the club’s members began using ‘Civil Media’ to host online information sessions. One of their first initiatives was organizing an online information session with Dr. Giorgi Pkhakadze, a healthcare advisor to the UN Secretary General. Ilia reached out to Dr. Pkhakadze and asked for his help informing the public about measures people can take to prevent COVID19, effective treatment practices around the world, efforts to develop a vaccine, and more.

Dr. Pkhakadze was happy to help.

Originally planned for 40 minutes, the

live online session ran for more than two hours. Dr. Pkhakadze responded to questions from students, teachers, and parents all eager to learn more about COVID19 and how to prevent its spread in Georgia.

Reflecting on the successful activity, Ilia had this to say: “As information [about COVID-19] grows, so do the questions.

Through the media or social networks, we constantly hear news about the virus, but we still have some questions and ambiguities that we cannot answer. We [the civics club members] wanted to offer a format for the listener where they would be able to ask questions directly and get comprehensive answers. I have often seen Dr. Pkhakadze on TV and his interesting conversation made me think that he is one of the strongest professionals in the field of healthcare, and that he would be the best speaker for this live engagement. In addition to his professionalism, he always supports interesting initiatives, especially those initiated by young people.”

Ilia and other members of the Kvatsikhe Civics Club have since hosted other online sessions, engaging other professionals and public figures to share insights with students not only from Chiatura Municipality but from across Georgia, as well as sharing knowledge and planning joint initiatives with members of other civics clubs.

Ilia credits USAID and Momavlis Taoba with giving his peers a platform and an opportunity to make a difference: “Momavlis Taoba promotes the development of young people, teaches them to work in a democratic environment, to take on responsibilities ... this contributes to a

Ilia Kipshidze, leader of the Kvatsikhe Civics Club 'Vector'

civically active generation.”

About USAID’s Momavlis Taoba Activity: Momavlis Taoba (‘Future Generation’) supports civic education through three main activities: enhanced teacher training and civic curricula; practical civic education projects; and support for student-led civics clubs. Nota-

bly, civics clubs receive small grants enabling them to plan, manage, and implement their own community activities. These activities are designed to institutionalize civic education in Georgia’s school system, providing Georgian society with capacity to ensure that young people have knowledge, skills, and opportunities to engage on important social issues.

Mutsohhhhh all. Then, to finish the thing by adding scale, two horsemen came galloping down the hill opposite the tower. I waited for them to move to just where I wanted them, tiny but so important in the distance, then took my shot.

It would be a couple more days of climbing through the slate rock maze villages of Shatili and Mutso, peering into halfburied necropolises in which lay the bones and skulls of voluntarily self-interred plague victims, before I would have the chance to see my precious photo in greater detail and edit it to its best degree on my computer. I didn’t let the anticipation of that spoil where I was, though, or distract me from the wonders of the scenes and architecture I was privileged to see for the first time. My friends and I had some really good time relaxing, exploring, cooking all our food on a campfire. I now have more than 1400 more photos to edit from these 2 trips in a week, all this while the Svaneti tour of some 3 more weeks looms closer, due to start after this article is published. So the editing will have to wait, as will the backlog of more articles from those two places, preempted by the 400 km circle coming up. But I’ll get to all that eventually.

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

I

’ve been really torn this week between continuing to write about the 3-day Tusheti tour or starting on my next adventure, which was in Khevsureti. The latter trip has won, however, as it includes one of my best landscape photos ever, despite my only taking less than 1/3 of the number of frames that I took in Tusheti. Sometimes you just get lucky, and are also ready to see it.

A great friend of mine suggested the camping trip to Shatili and its surroundings on the phone to me while I was still in Tusheti. It was simply a matter of checking that the weather there wouldn’t be outrageously bad, adding a few more guys to the list, and making some basic preparations during the day between these back to pack voyages. With crossborder travel so difficult at the moment, the many varied corners of Georgia fully reward one’s complete attention, whether one is a Georgian or a foreigner here!

I had been to Shatili several times before this, but not for some years, and never overnight. The 2-person tent I bought near Tbilisi’s Dynamo Stadium for 180 GEL got a good workout and came through a thunderstorm and downpour totally dry inside, which bodes well for the 3-week ordeal I’ll soon be putting it through in the Great Svaneti circle. It is such a cinch to put together that the instructions are basically superfluous, and it only weighs 2 kg, which is also greatly in its favor. My companions had

similar ones; there were 5 of us in all, though one (who will soon be joining me hiking around Svaneti) set up a hammock instead, his much preferred shelter method. We found a spot on the river which flows past Shatili but still gives views of the layered slate fortress village, and adds some nice white noise in its flow, a great aid to sleep.

But the shot of a lifetime revealed itself

to me much before we arrived there. We had climbed the zigzag route to the top of the pass in Khevsureti, and descending the other side’s similar switchbacks, the first watchtower guarding the province appeared on its steep mountainside.

The weather had featured clouds and sun chasing each other all day. This was midday in midsummer, when the high overhead sun is supposed to flatten land-

scapes and render them far less interesting. But when you are surrounded by near-verticals, this angle of sunlight actually doesn’t have to spell disaster for outdoor scene lighting!

The view shouted out to be captured, partly sunny and partly cloudy, gorgeously textured hillsides and twisty alpine river picked out by light. The tower was almost totally backlit, but that didn’t matter at

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/ groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

CULTURE

GEORGIA TODAY JULY 3 - 9, 2020

11

Redefining the City – Artist Guela Tsouladze Launches Art Workshops in Batumi

BY AMY JONES

O

n Georgia’s Black Sea coast, Batumi’s identity is full of historical juxtapositions.

Luxury concrete resorts stand beside wild bamboo forests, the neon lights of the Boulevard reflect onto the calm sea, and modern casinos tower above Soviet “Khrushchyovka” apartment blocks. From corrupt leader Aslan Abashidze’s playground to Sakashvili’s ‘Las Vegas’ on the Black Sea, the city’s identity has been in constant shift.

Helmed by French-Georgian artist Guela Tsouladze, a group of Batumians is hoping to move the city away from its previous narratives, through art. This summer, they are launching art workshops in the city to promote artistic expression and encourage new talents to take to the canvas. Called the ‘Guelaxi Gang,’ the art workshops held an opening night on July 2.

Tsouladze has been a driving force in Batumi’s art scene for many years. Since returning to Georgia from France in 2009, he has created artistic bridges between the two countries, organized the Batumi Grafikart Street Art Festival, which brought artists from France and Belgium to Georgia, and opened the first art center in the city.

His sculptures, dotted around the city, have become symbols of Batumi. Many Tbilisians will also be familiar with his work: the bicycle statue on Rose Revolution Square is one of his.

Tsouladze grew up in a surreal artistic

universe somewhere between France and Georgia, inspired by artists such as Niko Pirosmani, the Zdanevitch brothers, and Salvador Dali, whom he once met.

Born in Tbilisi in 1959 to a French mother and Georgian father, Tsouladze went on to study at the Tbilisi Academy of Fine Arts before moving to Paris at the start of the 1980s: colorful and wild years in the Parisian art scene. Here, he joined the Art Decoratifs and Beaux-Arts movements before becoming the assistant of renowned French artist Christian Boltanski.

This period was defined by rebellion, as traditional art broke free from its constraints and pop culture thrived. Tsouladze found himself in an artistic playground at the center of the Free Figuration Movement, sharing a Quai de Seine squat with artists Remy Blanchard and Vincent Scali.

His art took him around the world, from Ibiza to Barcelona and to New York in the 90s, when Keith Haring and JeanMichel Basquiat were shaping the Free Figuration Movement. In New York, he spent several years at the legendary Chelsea Hotel, where he painted Georgian letters on the walls and furniture.

This is when his love for simplistic, black figures was born, which have become his recognizable trademark.

Batumi is emerging from the shadow of its ‘Las Vegas’ image and is creating new artistic waves. Some young locals who moved to Tbilisi in the past for its bigger creative scenes are returning to the city. Its unique juxtapositions, diversity, and peaceful seascapes, give it creative potential in abundance.

“The youth here have no meeting place to get inspired, perfect their skills, explore their talents and create together,” Tsouladze said. “Guelaxi Gang aims to support local talents and develop a more active creative community year-round.”

The Guelaxi Gang art workshops will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 5pm on the 39th floor of the Orbi Beach Tower on Sherif Khimshiashvili Street.

Tsouladze will guide participants to explore their own creativity, painting on Georgian newspapers. GEORGIA

TODAY made a donation to this project, proud to see its pages being recycled into artwork. Sessions are held in English, Georgian, Russian, and French.

Locals and visitors are both welcome.

For more information, visit https:// www.facebook.com/guelaxigang

Artistic Couples: Polikarpe Klibadze next week’s issue, we’ll hear what his spouse of many years, Keti Dzidziguri, also an artist, has to say about the world of art.

WHO FIRST INTRODUCED YOU TO ART? HOW AND WHEN DID YOU START PAINTING? I started painting early, just like any other kid. The first person to introduce me to this world was my father, painter Iura Klibadze.

A

WHO HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOUR WORK EARLY ON IN YOUR CAREER? DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ARTIST/MOVEMENT?

fter wrapping up GEORGIA TODAY’s collaboration with BI Auction about their online exhibition ‘Art @ Corona Days,’ during which we interviewed participating young artists, GEORGIA TODAY and BI Auction are renewing the project of interviewing artistic couples. This issue, we present you Polikarpe Klibadze, a man of few words but many colors. In

I don’t know about the influence but, my favourite painter was for a long time, El Greco.

My favourite movement is expressionist – abstractionism. There are many painters I adore, I have named one of them.

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU DEEM PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN SHAPING

PUBLISHER & GM

George Sharashidze COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT

Commercial Director: Iva Merabishvili Marketing Manager: Natalia Chikvaidze

GEORGIA TODAY

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT:

Editor-In-Chief: Katie Ruth Davies

AN ARTIST? I think it’s crucial for an artist to have a professional education to form as an artist.

HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGES IN YOUR PURSUIT OF ART? This is a pursuit just like any other, with its triumphs and charms and downsides.

COULD YOU TELL US OF THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LIVING WITH A FELLOW ARTIST?

poet Galaktion Tabidze here: “What else would be the point of living, had there not been art?”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ART AUCTIONS IN GENERAL AND BI AUCTION IN PARTICULAR PLAY IN PROMOTING ART?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TELL PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR ART?

In the Georgian reality, art auctions are new opportunities for painters to make themselves known to the public. Art auctions in the country are just starting up. In time, they will refine and become more interesting for the three sides: the artists, the auction-makers, and the audience.

I would like to inspire people to be kind to each other.

HAVE YOU EXPERIMENTED WITH ANY OTHER ART DIRECTION? No, I have been content sticking with painting.

It’s extremely hard living with another artist, if your views on art and approaches to it differ radically.

THE MODERN ART SCENE IS EVER-CHANGING. WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF PAINTING IN THIS REALITY?

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY GEORGIAN ART SCENE?

I see positivity in it. I think painting is slowly freeing itself from different functions that the world made it responsible for. With that, the art of painting is slowly revealing its true self.

I believe Georgian modern art has the potential to be very solid, in international terms.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION TODAY? Probably the working process and the longing, the waiting for a new artwork.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS ART’S MAIN MISSION? I would like to quote the great Georgian

Journalists: Ana Dumbadze, Vazha Tavberidze, Nini Dakhundaridze, Tony Hanmer, Emil Avdaliani, Nugzar B. Ruhadze, Beka Alexishvili, Elene Dzebizashvili Photographer: Aleksei Serov

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? Just working on new material.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ARTISTS JUST STARTING UP? My advice is this circle: hard work, patience, work, patience, work…

Website Manager/Editor: Katie Ruth Davies Layout: Misha Mchedlishvili Webmaster: Sergey Gevenov Circulation Managers: David Kerdikashvili, David Djandjgava

About BI Auction ‘for ART’: BI Auction is the first Art Auction Company of Georgia, established in 2016. The company’s aim is to promote Georgian art and artists and enlarge the market. In four years, BI Auction ‘for ART’ has organized eight auctions and presented more than 450 paintings from 125 Georgian painters. In every auction, the collection is selected from among a thousand paintings from the well-known legendary artists of Georgia and also from promising young artists. For more information, please contact biauction1@gmail.com

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