An event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Department of International Relations was held at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) on January 28. Rector of TSU, Giorgi Sharvashidze, Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, international relations graduates from Georgia’s executive and legislative authorities, invited guests from various universities and non-governmental organizations attended the event.
Rector Giorgi Sharvashidze said: “25 years have passed since the establishment of a new department, school – international relations, based on which Georgian diplomacy was established following the restoration of independence. The founders of this department created an opportunity for establishing a European-level diplomatic school. It is important that this school is still developing.”
Associate Professor Tamar Dolbaia, organizer of the event and Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, noted that for already 25 years the graduates of this department have been extremely successful in various spheres. She also said that the Department of International Relations is one of the most successful and prestigious specializations at the university and throughout the country. “We are proud that it was just the Tbilisi State University that laid the foundation for the establishment and development of international relations as a science and specialization,” Tamar Dolbaia added.
“I can state boldly that the TSU Faculty of International Relations was one of the major symbols of Georgia’s independence. Georgia was facing huge challenges in that period. It is essential to educate professional, qualified staff. Today we are proud of the results achieved by the Department of International Relations. The international relations graduates have made a huge contribution to the political, economic and diplomatic life of this country,” Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, who is a graduate of the Department of International Relations, noted.
“I am proud that I have graduated from this faculty. Establishment of the Department of International Relations and restoration of Georgia’s independence occurred concurrently. We had to present our country internationally. The department is still very prestigious. A lot of successful students have graduated from this faculty and they are successfully continuing their activities to serve their native country,” State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said.
Professor Zurab Davitashvili, the head of the Department of International Relations at the TSU Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, said: “The 25th anniversary of establishment of the Department of International Relations has coincided with the 75th birth anniversary of Professor Alexander Rondeli, the first head of the Department and the founder of this specialization in Georgia. This specialization had not existed in Georgia before and today it is one of the most popular and prestigious specializations in Georgia.”
“The Department of International Relations is the most successful department in Georgia, because students with the highest scores are enrolled and we have the most successful graduates. They can be met in both the opposition and the government and they set the tone for the ongoing political processes,” MP Sergi Kapanadze said.
Academician Levan Aleksidze, Academician Vladimer Papava, Professor Ioseb Salukvadze and student Mariam Tkeshelashvili made welcome speeches during the event.
The Faculty of International Relations and International Law was founded at TSU in 1991. The Faculty united three departments, including two in international law specialization and one – in international relations specialization. At that time, international relations as a science and university specialization was an absolutely new sphere in Georgia. Professor Alexander Rondeli became the first head of the department. Establishment of international relations as a science in Georgia is just associated with his name.
During 25 years of its existence, TSU International Relations Specialization has become one of the most popular and prestigious specializations and it still maintains its rank as the most popular specialization in Georgia. Among the graduates are a lot of famous public servants, politicians, diplomats and scientists.
