Tbilisi, Georgia - The Georgia Peace Festival December 6 and 7 provided opportunities for neighboring peoples in the Caucasus Mountains south of Russian to learn about their diverse people, cultures, and history and better understand how the ongoing political and ethnic turmoil in the regional impact people's daily life.

In August 2008, the Georgia-Russia war brought to the fore the ethnic conflicts that had plagued Georgia at the time of its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In dispute are two autonomous regions on their borders, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The Global Peace Festival events in Georgia were organized by UPF-Georgia Representative Vitaly Maximov and Ambassador for Peace Dalila Khorava, the Minister of Health, Labor and Social Affairs of Georgia’s Abkhazian Government. Dalila single-handedly assembled all the participants for the conference and organized the Global Peace Festival. Both were great successes.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia officially belong to Georgia, but they seceded when the Soviet Union collapsed and claimed independence. Russia supported the secession and has been giving Russian passports to people of these regions in recent years. Georgia attempted last August to re-occupy South Ossetia, provoking the (well-prepared) invasion of both regions by Russian troops, and ultimately the recognition of their independence by Russia and Nicaragua.

The international delegation included two Russian Ambassadors for Peace: Dr. Vladimir Petrovsky, Chairman of the Russian Political Science Association and UPF-Eurasia Assistant Secretary General for Communications, and Dr. Eduard Yakovlev, a medical surgeon, president of the International Super-Marathon Association, and a Vice President of the Russian Peace Council.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have clashed over the secession of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan that declared independence. The Global Peace Festival programs in Georgia offered a neutral setting for Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors for Peace to meet and discuss peacebuilding initiatives.

In addition, two Azerbaijani Ambassadors for Peace: Dr. Zemfira Verdiyeva of the Academy of Sciences and Dr. Frangiz Mursalova, Vice President of the Women's Association, came for an Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue. They were joined by Armenian Ambassadors for Peace Mrs. Santosh Kumari Arora, Professor at the State University of Yerevan, and Mr. Georgy Vanyan, Chairman of the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives.

UPF Seminar

On December 6 a seminar was held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Among the 80 participants was Mr. Vakhtang Kolbaia, Vice-speaker of the Georgian Parliament. Mr. Teimuraz Mzhavia, Chairman of Georgia’s Abkhazia government, gave introductory remarks. Other representatives in Georgia of Abkhazia included the Deputy Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs and the President of the Abkhazia Academy of Sciences. Representatives of the regional government of South Ossetia included the Administration Minister and the Vice-Minister of Culture.

The UPF presentations were well received by the participants, who included NGO leaders, journalists, and artists. The discussion sessions about the two territorial conflicts (Georgia/Russia and Armenia/Azerbaijan) raised interventions on each side in support of dialogue and peace.

The two Russian Ambassadors for Peace, Dr. Petrovsky and Dr. Yakovlev, were warmly welcomed. Most participants joined the evening banquet and entertainment. The event was covered by the local media throughout the day

Peace Run

On the morning of December 7 a “Peace Run” was organized by UPF-Georgia and a few local sponsors, including PSP Pharmacy and Georgian Glass and Mineral Water Co., together with Dr. Yakovlev, President of the International Super Marathon Association. About 150 sportsmen and students took part including 18 handicapped people.

Dr. Yakovlev had said that he did not feel very well that morning and would run only one mile with the runners. A car was on hand nearby. However, after running two blocks, he collapsed with a heart attack. He was put into the nearby car and soon passed away.

As a Russian who came for peace to Georgia – he was wearing a T-shirt with both the Russian and Georgian flags – his death became the center of media attention throughout the day. Georgian officials said that if his family agreed to have him buried in Georgia, he would be honored in the Pantheon of Georgian Heroes.

However, his relatives naturally asked that his body be returned to Russia, and Russian local authorities then did their best to support the process of repatriating him to Moscow through Armenia, since there is no longer any direct communication between Georgia and Russia.

Main Event

That afternoon, the Global Peace Festival was held at the Professional Workers Palace. A thousand participants attended. The master of ceremonies introduced the Global Peace Festival as part of the Universal Peace Federation’s broad work for peace.

A very professional program celebrated Georgia’s great cultural traditions. In the spirit of a celebration, the performers included Abkhazian, South Ossetian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani dancing troupes.

Former Georgian President and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze attended the program, along with members of parliament and representatives from consulates. Awards were given during the festival to children who had written essays or drew artwork on the theme of peace.

Visit to Abkhazian Refugees

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced because of ethnic strife in the region. In Tbilisi the international delegates visited a center for refugees from Abkhazia who have been living in a rundown dormitory in very miserable conditions since they were expelled from Abkhazia in 1992.

For more information about the South Caucasus Peace Initiative, click here.