Yiftah CURIEL: "Potential of digital diplomacy is immense"; Ran GIDOR: "Women belong in all places where decisions are made"

global focus

voices of Israeli Foreign Ministry

27.10.2020. Caucasian Journal from time to time presents to our readers articles which focus on issues of a wider international importance. Today under our "GLOBAL FOCUS" Caucasian Journal gives floor to the Israeli diplomats.

 

The subjects they cover reflect important aspects of Israeli foreign policy: Use of latest "cutting edge" technologies, and adherence to decades-proven "classic" achievements accumulated by humanity. While Yiftah CURIEL of Israeli Foreign Ministry talks about digital diplomacy in the COVID era, Ran GIDOR – Israeli Ambassador to Georgia – remembers the anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution urging to increase women's decision-making in the sphere of peace and security.

  

Yiftah CURIEL: "The potential of digital diplomacy is immense"

Mr. Yiftah CURIEL is Director of Department for Digital Diplomacy at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of Caucasian Journal: Dear Yiftah, welcome to Caucasian Journal! As you are the head of Israel’s digital diplomacy, do you agree that wider digitalization is one of main ways to survive, especially in the era of COVID?

Yiftah CURIEL: Hello, and thank you for this interview, providing this opportunity to speak with your audience. Absolutely, I think that although digitalization, and specifically digital diplomacy, has been rapidly expanding over the last few years, COVID and the need to connect from afar, has accelerated this process. We have seen on our digital platforms a significant rise in the number of followers, people that want to connect with Israel, from tourists to businesspeople to religious pilgrims, and we've tried to accommodate them by providing content, a way to interact with us that would alleviate some of the difficulties of not being able to connect face to face. 

 

Opportunity for Georgians to study in Norway: Attend a Zoom meeting to learn more

Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), through the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, offers scholarships to Georgians who want to study hydropower development at the master’s level at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim/Norway.

Scholarships are tenable for two-year master programmes starting in 2021 and 2022.

All interested are welcome to attend online information meeting about scholarships for master programme in hydropower development on Wednesday 21 October 19:00 (Tbilisi time). The meeting will be conducted in English.  Click link to join the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93493314861 

Georgia and Norway – two hydropower countries

About 80 percent of Georgia’s electricity demand is covered by local hydropower plants. The construction of hydro power plants in Georgia has a long tradition, which has been reactivated in recent years. Both large power plants with reservoirs and small hydropower plants are under construction or being planned. Read more: Bjorn BRANDTZAEG: "As Georgia develops, it needs more domestically generated electricity".

Professor Hüseyin BAĞCI: Turkey considers Azerbaijan as "one nation, two states"

14.10.2020 (Caucasian Journal) How is the political situation in South Caucasus - in particular, the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict - seen from Turkey's perspective? What are current political priorities of the powerful neigbour? 

Caucasian Journal’s guest today is Professor Dr. Hüseyin BAĞCI - President of Turkey’s Foreign Policy Institute and professor at Middle East Technical University in Ankara. Professor Bağci is also Caucasian Journal's Board member.

Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of Caucasian Journal: Dear Professor Bağci, thank you for this opportunity to talk about foreign policies in our region, and the position of Turkey, which is of great importance to our countries. First of all, my sincere congratulations you with recent appointment as the head of Foreign Policy Institute (FPI) – Turkey’s oldest and most prestigious think tanks! It a great honour for us to have you in Caucasian Journal’s Board. So, how does it feel to become a leader of this think tank, after many years of university teaching?

Hüseyin BAĞCI: Thank you very much. Indeed, it is a very good feeling, but also an intellectual responsibility to lead such an institute. I have been involved in the activities of FPI since late 1980’s and was deputy director. But now, of course, it is a new field of responsibility. We contribute to main stream debates on Turkish foreign and security nationally and internationally.