Meeting organized by MitOst Association in Tbilisi
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, April 15
The discussion held in Fabrika, Tbilisi on April 11th was a part of the Network Gathering of Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg of Robert Bosch Stiftung and MitOst Association. 120 people from different backgrounds were brought together; people from 16 different countries across Europe and North Africa were gathered to discuss the problems that societies have and how civil society can address them.
The event was held in a very unusual and diverse way - everyone attending the meeting had a chance to be part of the discussion.
Sebastian Wehrsig, (Moderator, MitOst e.V.) opened the meeting with a welcoming speech, he thanked everyone for coming and remained very active during the discussions.
Annegret Wulff, (Managing Director, MitOst e.V.) talked about future trends for civil society. As she mentioned, her kids always ask her why can’t they have the right to decide something that is about their future. As she said, justice and freedom are essential for the new generation.
German Ambassador to Georgia, HE Hubert Knirsch, also attended the meeting. In his speech, he talked about his experience and how he can use his knowledge to help society overcome new challenges.
He talked about the challenges that Georgia faced during the 1990s and how hard it was for the country to overcome them. He also noted that stability is vital for a state and that the role of civil society is huge in it. He told participants that their work is part of a visit historic wave of change that naturally also brings forth some counter currents. "Keep your grassroot connections, be authentic, do work that is relevant to your local societies and you will not go wrong".
“The thing that you need to do is to change the system, if the system changes you, it means that you have lost the battle” – said Maia Melikidze, advisor to the former President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili. During her speech, she talked about the importance of April 9 for Georgian people. As she said, it is essential to “move from independence, towards freedom.”
Melikidze also talked about the importance of being a facilitator, as she said, she gained a lot of experience and, most importantly, friends and connections on which she can rely.
A lot of the challenges that today’s society faces were discussed at the event and people from different backgrounds had a chance to express their points of view.
After the event, the Ambassador of Germany to Georgia, invited everyone to his residence, where he was joined by Ketevan Tsikhelashvili the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality in Georgia, and Tamar Khulordava - Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration.
During her speech, Tsikhelashvili expressed her gratitude towards those who attended the meeting. As she said, she was thrilled to see so many people from different nations in Georgia and hoped that they would come back to see the country in the future.
“I know that there are plenty of challenges, but I’m not here to discuss them. We gathered here for the future” – noted Ketevan Tsikhelashvili.
Khulordava expressed her gratitude towards the people who gathered, saying - “I am very proud that you chose Georgia for this kind of networking and I hope that you will take part of Georgia with you.”
