PROJECTS


1991-1998 Preparation, The Republic of Georgia

1991
In 1991, CSMHI received a visit from Georgia's then Foreign Minister, Giorgi Khoshtaria, who was concerned about impending conflict in his country, had heard of our Center, and came to ask for our help. While we had no funds to take action right away, we left communication open. When Eduard Shevardnadze became President of Georgia, our contacts continued and intensified. Tedo Japaridze, who had accompanied Khoshtaria to Charlottesville in 1991, was appointed Georgian Ambassador to Washington. We have kept in touch, and he has met with us in Charlottesville three times over the past few years.

June 1995
In June 1995, Yuri Urbanovich (CSMHI's Georgian-born International Scholar) traveled to Georgia with Joyce Neu (Associate Director of The Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program) for preliminary assessment of the situation and to consult with NGO leaders, scholars and government officials. In addition to interviewing Georgian refugees, Dr. Neu and Dr. Urbanovich attended meetings in Sukhumi (Abkhazia) and met with a variety of individuals at the Foundation for the Development of Human Resources (FDHR).

October 1995
In October 1995, once more with collaboration and funding from The Carter Center, CSMHI convened in Charlottesville twelve representatives from American NGOs for a Strategy Session on Conflict Resolution in Georgia. The session's aim was to discuss existing initiatives to avoid duplicating effort in the future and to further understand the realities in Georgia and the challenges facing those trying to help. Building on Dr. Urbanovich's initial contacts in June 1995, we continued communicating with colleagues at FDHR and began to plan a joint project.

April 1997
In April 1997, Yuri Urbanovich returned to Georgia for further assessment and project exploration. He met with members of FDHR and with a variety of scholars and government officials.

December 1997
In December 1997, CSMHI faculty members were featured presenters at a Policy Forum at the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) in Washington, DC on ethnic conflict in Georgia. Manana Gabashvili of FDHR also presented at the forum, and we consulted with her and with others about the situation in Georgia.

January 1998
Georgian Ambassador Tedo Japaridze visited Charlottesville and was briefed on our joint project plans with FDHR. He expressed his approval and support of our efforts.

Projects

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