Meetings and Discussions

   

Meeting of Black Sea Peacebuilding Network Georgian Experts

On November 15th of 2012 a meeting of BSPN experts was held at GFSIS. Apart of the BSPN experts, representatives of other civil society organisations attended the meeting. 

This was the first meeting since the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia, which resulted in the peaceful transfer of power to a new government. The presenters were invited to satisfy the natural interest of the public related to the differences between the old and new governments’ views.    

Ms. Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, First Deputy State Minister of Reintegration (the institution in charge of conflict resolution) presented “New Visions for the Regulations of Conflicts in Georgia”. Mr. Sergi Kapanadze, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (in charge of Geneva Talks) and professor of the Tbilisi State University, spoke about “Status Neutrality – a Key for the Settlement of Conflicts in Georgia”. 

Ms. Tsikhelashvili stated that the new Georgian Government will not initiate changes to previously adopted legislation regarding conflict, but rather will focus on practical aspects such as searching for direct ways for building confidence and increasing communication, as well as the development of projects of common interest with the Abkhazian and Ossetian sides and Russia. 

Mr. Sergi Kapanadze presented his analysis developing the idea that the Status-Neutral issues could be the only topics where the conflicting sides are able to cooperate or reach consensus. In this regard, he advised the new government to take into account the outcomes and observations accumulated during the Geneva talks conducted by the previous government during the last few years.    

Both presentations were received with great interest by the audience and stimulated an active discussion.