Toyota: Weaving the Future from Mount Fuji to the Caucasus

30.01.2025 (Caucasian Journal). In the summer of 2019, the Caucasian Journal was excited to publish a detailed article about a groundbreaking plan to start producing the first electric cars in the Caucasus region. The first Georgia-made electric vehicles (EVs) were expected to roll out of the plant in Kutaisi in December 2019, but unfortunately, this did not happen. Since then, environmental challenges in our region and potential "green" solutions have remained a priority for us.

Meanwhile, the environmental situation in the region has continued to deteriorate, primarily due to the growing automotive fleet. The transport sector is the largest source of CO2 emissions, accounting for 40 percent of total energy-related CO2 emissions, according to a recent report of the International Energy Agency. 

Toyota Woven City. Image: Toyota

The Georgia Alliance for Safe Roads, a non-governmental organization, has emphasized that the issue extends beyond fuel distribution and poses risks to human health. It seems vital to shift to less carbon-intensive modes of transport, particularly electric and other alternatively powered vehicles.

▶ ქართულად: The Georgian version is here.

Can Technology Help?

What alternatives do Georgia—and the South Caucasus in general—have in the near future to improve the environment and ensure healthier conditions for its people? 

Inger ENKVIST: “We have for a long time lived on the results of our past very high educational standards” (watch video or read)

27.01.2025 (Caucasian Journal). Is it possible to "import" the Nordic education model? What are the strengths and weaknesses of European education? How does EU membership affect national education policies? 

These are some of the questions that we are discussing today with Inger ENKVIST, Professor Emerita from the Lund University in Sweden. Professor Enkvist is a distinguished Swedish educator and writer, one of the most renowned commentators on education policies, and an expert in Spanish literature. 

▶ ქართულად: The Georgian version is here.

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The full text version of the interview is below:

Nordic Education Cooperation with Georgia & Armenia: A new Nordic Talk by Caucasian Journal

15.01.2025 (Caucasian Journal). Since its inception in 2019, our journal has placed a strong emphasis on the education sector. As Georgia and Armenia take steps towards closer European integration, the importance of Western education models continues to grow. This time, we aim to explore Nordic education by examining cooperation projects involving the Nordic countries, Georgia, and Armenia as case studies. This is the focus of our upcoming Nordic Talk—a free online discussion scheduled for January 23 and 24. 

You are welcome to join our two Zoom sessions (invite links are provided below).

Previously, our journal successfully organized the first Georgia-Norway Nordic Talk in 2021, focusing on university education in clean energy, and another in 2022 involving Georgia, Armenia, Norway, and Sweden on waste management. 

Our new Nordic Talk will consist of two Zoom sessions with open attendance:

How to Make Maximum of Nordic Experience in Education? Case of Nordic Cooperation with Georgia and Armenia

Talk I: Primary education, with a focus on inclusivity.

January 23, 13:30 Tbilisi and Yerevan time /  10:30 Oslo and Stockholm time

How to attend:   Zoom link; Facebook event link