Author

  • Salome Minesashvili

    Dr. Salome Minesashvili is a policy analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP). She holds PhD in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin, MSc in International Political Theory from the University of Edinburgh and MSc in Transformation in the South Caucasus from Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. She has worked in multiple research projects on the topics of foreign policy analysis, identity politics, soft power politics, EU-Eastern Neighbourhood relations, and transformation processes in the former Soviet Union.

15/07/2020 Salome Minesashvili

EU and Ethnic Minorities in Georgia: How to Counter Misinformation and Disruptive Communication

Author

  • Salome Minesashvili

    Dr. Salome Minesashvili is a policy analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP). She holds PhD in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin, MSc in International Political Theory from the University of Edinburgh and MSc in Transformation in the South Caucasus from Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. She has worked in multiple research projects on the topics of foreign policy analysis, identity politics, soft power politics, EU-Eastern Neighbourhood relations, and transformation processes in the former Soviet Union.

Publish Date:
15-07-2020

High public support is frequently claimed as a backbone of Georgia`s foreign policy direction and especially its ambition for membership in the European Union (EU). However, ethnic minorities in Georgia comprise a group whose unanimous approval the state’s foreign policy lacks. In comparison to ethnic Georgians, ethnic Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Georgia are significantly less supportive of Georgia`s potential membership in the European Union. This paper outlines possible explanations for this low support among minorities and gives recommendations towards improving their support for EU membership. The paper establishes the extent to which a lack of information and misinformation about the EU account for their position and proposes a more efficient and wider-reaching information campaign.

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Salome Minesashvili

Dr. Salome Minesashvili is a policy analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP). She holds PhD in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin, MSc in International Political Theory from the University of Edinburgh and MSc in Transformation in the South Caucasus from Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. She has worked in multiple research projects on the topics of foreign policy analysis, identity politics, soft power politics, EU-Eastern Neighbourhood relations, and transformation processes in the former Soviet Union.