On the occasion of the opening of the Gandhi Foundation at the Tbilisi State University, Georgia, on June 30th, 2014, Rajagopal PV (Ekta Parishad) and Jill Car-Harris (IGINP) visited the Georgian friends of the Jai Jagat 2020 Campaign.
Meetings were held for three days to celebrate the opening of the Foundation and the engagement of Georgia in the Jai Jagat 2020 Campaign. They were presided by our friends and prominent board members of Gandhi Foundation Georgia, Ms. Nina Tsikhistavi and Irakli Kakabadze, as well as the Rector of Tbilisi State University, Dr. Vladimir Papava.
Georgians had invited Mr. Rajagopal PV to understand the Abkhaz and Ossetian conflict raging in the country. The meetings were spaces of reflexion to understand and discuss how nonviolent conflict-resolution can be attained, and share experiences and advices.
The meetings were also an opportunity to meet with the Indian Ambassador of Armenia and Georgia, Mr. Suresh Babu, as well as Georgia’s Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, Mr. Paata Zakareishvili, who held a one hour long meeting with Rajagopal PV and Jill Car-Harris. The Minister saluted the opening of the Gandhi Foundation which, according to him, will create new opportunities for peaceful dialogues between different conflicting sides in South Caucasus. On their side, Jill Carr-Harris and Rajagopal PV both noted that having a Ministry of Peace was a great step forward global peace and an example for other countries.
The meeting was concluded by an agreement made between the Georgian Minister of Sports and Youth, Mr. Levan Kipiani, and the Georgian Gandhi Foundation. They agreed on the creation of a youth training on peace and nonviolence to encourage the new generation in the path of reconciliation.