A guide will tell a visitor on a tour of Old Tbilisi that, among other charming spots, shrines of all religions have peacefully coexisted in the historical part of Georgia’s capital for centuries. The streets are lined with Orthodox, Armenian, and Catholic churches, as well as mosques and synagogues. This outstanding place of ethnic and religious tolerance has been characterized by the ideal of mutual understanding and help, expressed through love and brotherhood. When it came to helping each other through the daily vicissitudes, it would have been strange for the residents of Tbilisi not to distinguish between Christians, Muslims, Jews or people of other faiths. They used to be faith-and-ethno-deaf-and-blind if they needed each other’s shoulders to rely on. Sakartvelo is a land that has always fostered international coexistence and collaboration. This was a very natural attitude for a nation that had historically lived in the middle the Silk Road which symbolised the active and fruitful interplay between nations. Trade and cultural exchanges, economic mutuality, and political communication determined Georgia’s place among nations belonging to both Europe and Asia. Our country has existed for millennia at the crossroads of the two.
It is because of this that the Europeanism of Georgia, which is not yet fully recognized by all in this country is so natural. Our belonging to the Asian sociopolitical infrastructure and economy is also very obvious. We are a strikingly internationally-minded people, tending more to constructive peace than to destructive belligerence. This statement of goodwill must be understood and taken seriously by the West when it is deciding whether to integrate Georgie in Euro-Atlantic structures. Here is a story that speaks volumes about how much the Georgians want, are ready for, and deserve to be “in.”
Orbeliani Square in Tbilisi was delightfully overcrowded a couple of days ago. It is the site of Georgia’s presidential palace. The city celebrated the Days of Europe with a very European flair: food and drink degustation, different types of exhibitions, concerts and shows, all those enjoyable outdoor events, accompanied by beautiful spring weather, and a general public delight. As is usual in an idyllic setting, the small and big people hung out together. They were all smiling and enjoying themselves. I have seen many public events like this in different European cities. They are ones that you don‘t want to leave and wish would last forever. The public’s exaltation that day was genuine and heartfelt. The open-air stage was filled by Spanish and Swedish folk music, with the audience cheering loudly. They were presenting European cultural pearls to Georgians. The Georgian administrative leadership, the foreign office of the country and Tbilisi City Hall organized this beautiful, unrestricted and truly communal event free of charge. They were assisted by the Spanish and Swedish embassies located in Tbilisi, as well as their counterparts from Madrid and Stockholm.
The speeches made before the concert of Spanish folk music and Swedish folk dances were full of optimism on both sides, that Georgia would definitely receive the European Union Candidacy status. The speeches were full of optimism and believable. But, on the other hand, who else but Georgia should be given the coveted status of a nation with strong European values and a way of life? Georgia’s future development and existence is most likely to be found in the family of European countries. Sakartvelo should enjoy its natural place in the family of European nations, when it is not now.
Nugzar B.Ruhadze, Op-Ed
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