What Responsibility Do Georgians and Armenians Have in Common?

Responsibility means defeating indifference and daring to express oneself, said Bela Tonakian, an Armenian journalist at a meeting in Akhaltsike, a city in southern Georgia. Organized by the Georgian team on June 19 and 20, the objective was to have Georgians and Armenians debate on their common responsibility in a region inhabited mostly by Armenians and characterized by recurrent tensions.

The strong themes of the workshop facilitated by Tsisso Chipashvili and Teimuraz Oboladze were:

- Globalization and Responsibility
- Water and Responsibility
- Unity and Diversity of Peoples and Responsibility

The first day, we circulated and presented the Armenian translation of the Charter, with the help of an Armenian interpreter. Participants were very open to it and repeated that the document really incited them to think and to act. Teimuraz Oboladze’s contribution on the unity and diversity of the different nations led to a particularly lively and interesting discussion.

The second day, the young Armenians and Georgians discussed the different principles of the Charter and decided to organize a cleaning of the banks of the river they share. We got gloves and plastic bags to collect the garbage. Then, very happy about their action, the youngsters bathed in the river.

The seminar ended with the organization of a small concert. During the meeting, participants developed the idea of an international peace and friendship camp with Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and representatives of other peoples living in Georgia.