Georgia's Western Integration: Progress and Obstacles Summer School

An international summer school Georgia's Western Integration: Progress and Obstacles began at the International School for Caucasus Studies at the Ilia Chavchavadze State University on 21 August.

Programme supervisor David Aphrasidze says that the topic of the summer school drew greater interest than had been expected, and a competition had to be held to select the participants. As a result of the competition, 21 German students were admitted to the summer school.

The two-week programme (21 August - 6 September), will offer its participants lectures by both Georgian and German lecturers. Lectures, seminars and discussions will be held in Tbilisi and on the premises of the Abastumani Observatory. The German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD, is co-funding and co-organizing the summer school.

The students will discuss various issues in the course of the programme: "civil society" as an actor in conflict resolution based on the case of Georgian-Abkhaz relations; Europe building closer ties with the South Caucasus and US interests in the region; different perceptions of "Western integration" and "Europeanization" in the three states of the South Caucasus; concepts of "territorial autonomy" and a "common state" as real alternatives to separatism in the South Caucasus. Discussions will be held after every lecture while the students are expected to present papers on relevant topics.

During the summer school, the German students and professors will visit Uplistsikhe, Vardzia, Mtskheta and other places of interest, including the Borjomi-Kharagauli national park.