Date: November 6, 2017
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Location: Information Center on NATO and EU
The Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) is hosting the public discussion – “Georgia’s European Perspective – The View From Rome.” The event is made possible with the support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF) and in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Italy to Georgia and the Information Center on NATO and EU.
The event is part of a series of public discussions called “Georgia in European Politics”. While the country is actively engaged in the EU integration process, Georgia is part of Europe in rhetoric, but in reality there is quite limited knowledge about the actual EU realities and perceptions towards Georgia, and implications of international developments to Georgia. Through “Georgia in European Politics” discussions we aim to better understand the issues that drive foreign policy in the EU member states, especially when it comes to EaP and Georgia’s integration.
Guest speakers include: Marco Siddi (Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, European Union Research Programme); H.E. Antonio Enrico Bartoli (The Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Georgia); Akaki Zoidze(Chairman, The Friendship Group with the Parliament of the Republic of Italy, Member of the Parliament of Georgia) and Grigol Gegelia (Doctoral Researcher, European University Institute (Florence, Italy).The speakers will address Italian foreign policy discourses and priorities and how they relate to Georgia and other Eastern Partnership countries.
GIP will also present 2 new policy memos:
- “Italy’s Eastern Neighborhood Policy: Georgia in Context” by Marco Siddi.
The paper focuses on Rome’s current approach to the Eastern neighborhood and Russia and overviews possible changes and continuities following the 2018 national elections in Italy. - “Italy and Eastern Europe – a dossier subordinated to the Rome-Moscow axes?” by Nona Mikhelidze (Head of the Eastern Europe and Eurasia programme, the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Rome, Italy))
The paper examines the essence and rationale of Rome-Moscow political and economic axes, in order to better understand the importance and value Italy gives to the Eastern neighbourhood.
Working language: English (Georgian translation can be provided)