Vision 2032: The South Caucasus in 10 years

06.08.2022 (Caucasian Journal) What is "Vision 2032"? Recently Caucasian Journal decided to contact some top leaders of civil society and business to ask about their vision of our region in a 10 years perspective, and what can be done to ensure the future would be brighter🙂

The answers that we are receiving are "Vision 2032". You are welcome to share your own vision, and to read what other decision-makers think.

To answer our 3 simple questions, just download them from here, and send to CJ by email or via our social channels. You may also add your answers below as comments. 

Our questions:

- My country could be a real paradise on Earth, if…

- What must be done – and what I can do…

- Shall we still need borders between our 3 countries in 2032, or shall we follow the EU’s model?

Answers Zaza Bibilashvili, Founder, the Ilia Chavchavadze Center for European Studies and Civic Education, Founding partner, BGI Legal:

1. My country could be a real paradise on Earth, if…

…if Georgians had a better historical memory, making the nation more resilient when facing recurring external threats and leading to more rational daily and political decisions by the citizenry.

…if Georgians could manage to unite for common cause and rid our country of toxic Russian interference in our public life, designed to fuel polarization, flare anti-Western sentiments and shake the public’s trust in the future of this country. 

Ambassador Hubert KNIRSCH: "Georgians are a brilliant color on the European palette"

02.08.2022 (Caucasian Journal) Our guest today is His Excellency Hubert KNIRSCH, the Ambassador of Germany to Georgia.

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of CJ: Your Excellency, welcome to Caucasian Journal.  We know that your diplomatic service term in Georgia is about to finish, but sometimes the journalists believe such moments are even better for an interview. Your time in Georgia coincided with some turbulent developments both in Georgia and internationally. From a personal standpoint, have you enjoyed working in the middle of such turbulence, or would you prefer a stable and more predictable diplomatic routine?

Hubert KNIRSCH: My work here was based on the old and strong friendship that exists between Georgia and Germany. Friendship is not only for celebrating success together, but for helping each other in overcoming difficult times and reaching high objectives. I do not mind when life become intense, but I would have wished to see a greater sense of responsibility in the political and the media elites, more focus on the issues instead of the daily quarrels.

AK:  The ambassador’s work has many dimensions; how did you set your own priorities?  How do you evaluate the overall efficiency of your work in Georgia generally, and along separate dimensions such as political, economic, cultural? My apology if this requires a somewhat lengthy answer. 

Swarovski Foundation's grants program welcomes applications from creatives in art, design, engineering

16.07.2022 (Caucasian Journal). The Swarovski Foundation announced it is accepting applications to its Creatives for Our Future program from young people worldwide (aged 21–30) working in disciplines such as fashion, design, art, architecture, technology, and engineering – with no limit to creative medium.⠀

▶ Հայերեն:  This content is also available in Armenian here.

Creatives for Our Future is a global mentorship and grant program designed with advisor the United Nations Office for Partnerships to identify and accelerate the next generation of creative leaders in sustainability. Successful applicants should have a keen interest in, demonstration of, or exemplary potential to use the creative process to accelerate awareness, technologies or solutions for sustainable development.

The Swarovski Foundation welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, nationalities, religions and beliefs.

To submit application, you need to be between the ages of 21 – 30 at the time of the time of application and before the deadline for applications. Link for application submission is here. 

Pegor PAPAZIAN: "Our super goal is to invent the future of learning"

07.07.2022 (Caucasian Journal) Our guest is Pegor PAPAZIAN, Chief Development Officer, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies (Armenia). TUMO is an international network of schools for teenagers (12-18 years) that offer free education in IT, technology, and design, founded in 2011 in Yerevan. While major part of centers are located in Armenia, TUMO has opened its schools in many countries.

The TUMO's menu of courses sounds tempting for nearly every world's teenager: Animation, Game Development, Filmmaking, Web Development, Music, Writing, Drawing, Graphic Design, 3D Modeling, Programming, Robotics, Motion Graphics, Photography, New Media... Is it all available for free? Which countries are lucky to have TUMO centers already, and which are on the waiting list?

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of Caucasian Journal:  Dear Pegor, welcome to Caucasian Journal! You are one of the founders and leaders of TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, which is now becoming a truly global educational project originating from Armenia. For Caucasian Journal, TUMO is a “must cover”, because it’s symbolizing all our priorities in one bottle: It’s innovative, it’s about free access to education, it’s created in the South Caucasus, and it spreads internationally raising the global awareness of this region. Though our readers already know about TUMO from the recent interview with Rev Labaredian, it won’t hurt to talk once again about the basics of your project. What was at the root of TUMO, and how did you get involved in it? How did it all happen?

Pegor PAPAZIAN:  TUMO is a program initially developed by our founding benefactors Sam and Sylva Simonian, my wife Marie Lou and myself. Marie Lou and I had just moved to Armenia with our five children who went into the local education systems at various grade levels, and the TUMO program was conceived as a complement to that education system, largely inherited from the Soviet Union, that was missing, at the time, many important pedagogical foundations. The education system was too focused on identifying and developing a small intellectual elite, often chosen arbitrarily, at the expense of the huge potential of the majority of school children. Over time, we realized that what we had created essentially as an “antidote” to that ineffective system of education was actually in high demand not just in Armenia, but across the world.

International art life in Georgia: Russian Alexander FLORENSKY curates Ukrainian Anastasiia PTASHYTS at Tbilisi's Licht Gallery founded by Israeli-Swiss couple

28.06.2022 (Caucasian Journal) Today Caucasian Journal has very special guests representing the Tbilisi’s cosmopolitan art scene:  The Ukrainian artist Anastasiia PTASHYTS, hosted in Georgia under a residency program of Tbilisi’s Licht Gallery, the Israeli-Swiss co-founders of the gallery Daniel  LICHT and Rita GELIN LICHT,  and the Russian artist and art curator Alexander FLORENSKY. 

Seems like quite an interesting combination of nations, but not unusual for Tbilisi, which has for centuries been a very international city.

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of CJ: My first question is to Anastasiia Ptashyts.  You have been working in Georgia for a month, away from Ukraine - what is your state of mind now? Which color (or image) is it, if I may ask?

Anastasiia PTASHYTS: My state is rather uncertain. Life seemed to be divided into two parts:  My family stayed in Ukraine, so a part of me lives there, and the other part is somewhere else, trying to find my place and work. I think often about what is my part and help to the victory of Ukraine. And I understand that my life, active position, and the fact that I can make an effort on myself and continue to work is the right thing for our victory.

Ekaterine METREVELI: "The war that Ukraine is fighting is our war as well"

25.06.2022 (Caucasian Journal) Today we are honored to meet with Dr. Ekaterine METREVELI, President of Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation), and Honorary Consul of Finland in Georgia.

The Georgia's European perspective and the bilateral relations of Georgia with its main partners and neighbors are all in the focus of this comprehensive interview. We also talk about the role of think-tanks in the formation of the country's international agenda.

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of CJ: Dear Ekaterine, welcome to Caucasian Journal. Thank you for attention to our readers. Many of them are professionals in international relations, and would be especially interested in this interview. There are quite many foreign policy questions on today’s agenda, but let me start by asking to briefly introduce your Foundation, and how did you get involved in it?

Ekaterine METREVELI: Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies is a Tbilisi-based foreign policy think tank, established back in 2001. We aim to improve decision-making practices, contribute to better national security policies, promote European and Euro-Atlantic integration and enhance regional cooperation. I joined the Foundation in 2002, after returning from the US, where I was a Muskie fellow at the University of Pittsburgh. I met Dr. Alexander Rondeli and Temur Yakobashvili, co-founders of the GFSIS, accidentally at one of the receptions and they have invited me to visit their office at Niko Nikoladze 7. I went on the second day and stayed for now already 20 years. Our office at that time was a small, three-room apartment where we’ve started one of GFSIS flagship programs in National Security in cooperation with the Rand Corporation supported by the US State Department. It was a very warm, friendly, family type atmosphere, which we hope to have maintained until today, with a steady growth of the foundation. What we are really proud of is that GFSIS houses people with different political views and this does not prevent us to coexist and contribute to the common goal that is Georgian state anchored in European and Euro-Atlantic space.

Rev LEBAREDIAN: "Armenia is a startup country"

21.05.2022 (Caucasian Journal) NVIDIA, one of the world leaders in computing technologies, recently announced that it established a research center in Armenia, creating potentially hundreds of jobs for local IT specialists. Can IT and tech innovation sphere become a locomotive for the Armenian economy in the future? 

Caucasian Journal interviewed Rev LEBAREDIAN, who is behind NVIDIA's coming to Armenia.  Mr. Lebaredian is not only Vice President, Omniverse & Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, but also Advisory Board Member at Armenia's Center for Creative Technologies (TUMO). That's why a large part of our talk was devoted to TUMO - a unique free education program for teenagers  specializing in technology, IT, and AI. Watch the video talk below.

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Siim SIKKUT: "More e-Residents are joining than our babies are born in the country" (read or watch video)

11.05.2022 (Caucasian Journal). Our guest is Siim SIKKUT, co-founder of the famous Estonian e-Residency program and the former Chief Information Officer of Estonian government. He is considered one of the pioneers of “e-Estonia” – one of the most advanced digital nations. You may view the video discussion below, and read the text version - further below.  This interview is also available in Georgian and Armenian versions:

▶ ქართულად: Video subtitled in Georgian is here. Georgian text version is here.

▶ Հայերեն: Video subtitled in Armenian is here. Armenian text is here.

To be the first to view exclusive interviews, please subscribe here to our YouTube Channel

The text version of interview is below: 

Siim SIKKUT: "More e-Residents are joining than our babies are born in the country"

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of CJ: Hello and welcome to Caucasian Journal video interviews! Our guest today is Siim SIKKUT, co-founder of the famous Estonian e-Residency program and the former Chief Information Officer of Estonian government. He is considered one of the pioneers of “e-Estonia” – one of the most advanced digital nations.

In Memoriam of Zurab Katchkatchishvili

18.04.2022 (Caucasian Journal). With a great and sincere sorrow we have to report the death of Ambassador Zurab KATCHKATCHISHVILI, Caucasian Journal's  Board member and our good friend, who passed away on April 17. 

Zurab Katchkatchishvili was not only a highly educated diplomat and a man of sophisticated culture. We will remember him as one of the rare representatives of the true Georgian intelligentsia. His delicate and friendly attitude, his tact, readiness to help in all situations, cheerfulness and unique sense of humour made him a role model for many. 

Ambassador Katchkatchishvili's support to Caucasian Journal played a key role from the very inception of our project back in 2019. He was one of the first who joined the Advisory Board of  CJ, and one of the first who gave an interview to our young and unknown media resource shortly after our launch (see here). We will always remember his contribution, which helped us immensely.

We express our sincere condolences to Zurab's wife, Nigar, and to all his family.

This is a truly irreplaceable loss. 

Tarmo JÜRISTO, founder of SALK: “Estonia is a lottery winner” (video)

14.04.2022 (Caucasian Journal).We are glad to introduce our today's guest Tarmo JÜRISTO, Estonian civil society activist and opinion leader, founder of the new civic platform SALK, former CEO of think-tank "Praxis". You may view the video discussion below.  This video interview is also available in Georgian and Armenian versions: 

▶ ქართულად: Video subtitled in Georgian is here.

▶ Հայերեն: Video subtitled in Armenian is here.

To be first to view all our exclusive video interviews, please subscribe here to our YouTube Channel