Florian VAN DER BELLEN: "To make wine tourism stronger, you have to internationally promote Georgia as a destination first"

28.02.2019 (Caucasian Journal). Today our special guest is Florian VAN DER BELLEN. A number of mass media recently trumpeted the news about the son of the President of Austria, who is planning to live and work in Georgia. 

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of Caucasian Journal:  I think you must be tired of answering the same questions about your father, President Alexander Van der Bellen, and about your interest in Georgia. But let us make this interview different. You are starting a business in Georgia, and every new company needs support.  Our publication helps in the promotion of those who want to make Georgia better known and more attractive to investors and potential clients. Our readers are business people interested in Georgia, from nearly every country in the world. So let us help to spread your message to potential clients. You may start by telling about yourself.

Florian VAN DER BELLEN: First of all, I would like to thank you for your interest. Let me start by saying, that I have always been and still am Florian Van der Bellen. In 2016 it happened that my father was elected president of Austria, but that is his achievement, not mine. Realistically, it did change my life in the sense that people became more interested in what I do, which is not a bad thing.

AK: Your professional experience is related to Austria’s Tyrol region. What made you change your focus, after many years in Tyrol? 

FVdB: Tyrol is where I come from. I was born here and spent many years of my life here. But I have also lived and worked in many other countries, like Germany, Switzerland, Romania and Australia. Tyrol, with its beautiful mountains in the heart of the Alps, is quite similar to your Svaneti region in many respects. I did not really plan to move away again, until I came to Georgia for the first time in April 2017 – and about ten times since then. I am in love with your country, and I see so much potential and many business opportunities in Georgia that I could not resist but follow my heart and my business mind.

AK: When you decided to work elsewhere, did you consider other potential countries, or just Georgia? 

Ambassador Zurab KATCHKATCHISHVILI: "Most urgent matter is to free the Judiciary from political pressure"

interview

27.02.2019 (Caucasian Journal). Ambassador Zurab KATCHKATCHISHVILI, Secretary General of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Georgia), has kindly agreed to give interview to Caucasian Journal.

Caucasian Journal:  International Chamber of Commerce is the key partner of  Caucasian Journal in Georgia. I take this opportunity to thank you for support, which vividly demonstrates that ICC is more than an ordinary business association. Since inception, ICC Georgia has been very attentive to the pace democratic reforms and civil society formation. I would like to start with a specific question. According to Economist’s 2018 Democracy Index, Georgia’s position dropped from 78th to 89th place. How justified is this estimation, in your view? If you agree with it, is this something that causes concern of ICC and the business community?

Ambassador Zurab KATCHKATCHISHVILI: In the first place, let me congratulate you with the kick-off of Caucasian Journal and express hope that it will successfully serve to faithfully depict and analyze the political and economic environment in Georgia and the whole region.

Rethink.CEE Fellowship — Call for Applications

A quarter of a century after it began, the democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe has ground to a halt. From within, the region is challenged by ruthless power politics, political polarization, weak institutions, beleaguered civil society and media, reform fatigue, and a return of traditional nationalism and phobias. Europe and the West broadly, once the desired endpoint of the region’s transformation, have lost their attractiveness; their current weakness opens a vacuum that is filled with powerful counter-narratives. Fanning these is Russia, which has reinserted itself into the entire region, which it once ruled and seems determined to control once again. The combined effect of these internal and external developments is that the entire Eastern half of Europe is at risk of reversing democracy, forfeiting prosperity achieved, and returning to the instability and insecurity that has wrecked this region for centuries. What is at stake, in short, is the grand vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.

Call For Nominations: Young Leaders Program 2019

The flagship Leadership Program of the Aspen Institute Romania for the last 12 years, the fellowship based Young Leaders Program, has reached its 13th edition. The 2019 Young Leaders Program will bring increased regional and sectorial participation and create additional diversity and relevance for a growing Network of Aspen Fellows already covering 28 countries.

What is it about?

The Young Leaders Program gathers each year 20-25 high profile regional young leaders with a clear two-fold goal: to promote and advance progressive leadership within society; and to develop the regional network of Aspen Fellows, based on shared values and common interests.

Opportunity for U.S. media outlets: Free travel and professional development in Georgia or Ukraine

IREX is seeking U.S. broadcasters, print media, and digital media to partner with Georgian and Ukrainian stations by participating in the Georgian Media Partnership Program (GMPP) and Ukraine Media Partnership Program (UMPP).

IREX implements these initiatives with funding from the U.S. embassies in Tbilisi and Kiev.

GMPP and UMPP support partnerships between Georgian and American media outlets as well as Ukrainian and American media outlets through exchange trips that include individual on-site and online peer-sharing, consulting, coaching, mentoring, and job shadowing.

Introduction

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Mission statement:

The Caucasian Journal’s goal is to create an effective and impartial forum for constructive dialogue on significant issues relevant to the South Caucasian region, where a broad range of opinions can be expressed and heard, and effective solutions can be worked out. Caucasian Journal (“CJ”) will be a combination of an online publication, and a nonpartisan public discussion platform. The journal project is seen as an effective way to assist in civil society development in the region of South Caucasus.

The organizers believe that a multilingual online project is the most effective and cost-efficient mechanism in terms of public engagement, putting special emphasis on delivery of messages to the target audiences, and interactivity.

What we offer to our readers and partners:

• CJ aims to assist the civil society by publishing all relevant content – such as interviews, summaries of research findings and analytical papers, and promoting them to a wider audience. All organizations are welcome to submit relevant content for publication in Caucasian Journal. 

• We are open to publishing materials in English, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani languages.

• We are interested in publishing texts as well as video content.

• We attach top importance to the impact of publications, and put an emphasis on interactivity - feedbacks, social networking, and wider public outreach. Most importantly, CJ aims to make its content available in all regional languages and across the borders of South Caucasian countries, strengthening cooperation and contacts between the three neigbouring states of the region.

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