The News in Brief
Thursday, November 15
Funds allocated for restoration of Uplistsikhe
U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) has allocated funds for the restoration of the ancient cave town of Georgia - Uplistsikhe.
The grant was received by Cultural Heritage Centre of Ilia State University.
Due to erosion processes, earthquakes and natural disasters, it is necessary to conserve Uplistsikhe.
The project is supported by the National Agency of Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia and Italian Specialists.
The presentation of the project was attended by the Deputy Chief of mission at the U.S. Elizabeth Rood, Head of National Agency of Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, Nikoloz Antidze and Professor of Ilia State University, Nino Doborjginidze.
The AFCP has allocated more than one million USD to preserve and protect Georgia’s cultural heritages from 2001.
Uplistsikhe is by the river Mtkvari, around ten kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the town of Gori. It began its history in the Iron Age, second millennium BC.
Among the ruins, one can find the Hellenistic amphitheater, the pagan temple with an opening in the roof and smaller chambers that seem to have been homes. All the structures were carved out of sandstone rock.
German Ambassador on Russian troops on Georgian territory
German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch talked about Russian troops that are on Georgian territories.
He noted that these are difficult conflicts, which require the involvement and diplomacy.
"Russian troops are on the territory of Georgia without Georgia's consent, so it is an occupation. However, we must not make a mistake and describe the whole conflict by just one word. We all know that the conflict between Abkhazians, Georgians and South Ossetians emerged in the early 90s, during political changes, and I think that mistakes, regrettable mistakes were made by both sides.
So this is a long story and this conflict has a lot of layers: the local layer - Georgians, Abkhazians, South Ossetians, representatives of other nationalities; the layer of the Russian conflict against Georgia; and finally, a geopolitical layer of a conflict between the renewed and stronger conflict between Russia and the West. These are difficult conflicts, which require the involvement and diplomacy of all of us. As a diplomat, I believe that these conflicts can be solved over time," Hubert Knirsch said.
In terms of NATO and the EU, he said that nobody has the right to veto Georgia's right to become a member of NATO or the EU. (Prepared by Mariam Chanishvili)
U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) has allocated funds for the restoration of the ancient cave town of Georgia - Uplistsikhe.
The grant was received by Cultural Heritage Centre of Ilia State University.
Due to erosion processes, earthquakes and natural disasters, it is necessary to conserve Uplistsikhe.
The project is supported by the National Agency of Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia and Italian Specialists.
The presentation of the project was attended by the Deputy Chief of mission at the U.S. Elizabeth Rood, Head of National Agency of Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, Nikoloz Antidze and Professor of Ilia State University, Nino Doborjginidze.
The AFCP has allocated more than one million USD to preserve and protect Georgia’s cultural heritages from 2001.
Uplistsikhe is by the river Mtkvari, around ten kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the town of Gori. It began its history in the Iron Age, second millennium BC.
Among the ruins, one can find the Hellenistic amphitheater, the pagan temple with an opening in the roof and smaller chambers that seem to have been homes. All the structures were carved out of sandstone rock.
German Ambassador on Russian troops on Georgian territory
German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch talked about Russian troops that are on Georgian territories.
He noted that these are difficult conflicts, which require the involvement and diplomacy.
"Russian troops are on the territory of Georgia without Georgia's consent, so it is an occupation. However, we must not make a mistake and describe the whole conflict by just one word. We all know that the conflict between Abkhazians, Georgians and South Ossetians emerged in the early 90s, during political changes, and I think that mistakes, regrettable mistakes were made by both sides.
So this is a long story and this conflict has a lot of layers: the local layer - Georgians, Abkhazians, South Ossetians, representatives of other nationalities; the layer of the Russian conflict against Georgia; and finally, a geopolitical layer of a conflict between the renewed and stronger conflict between Russia and the West. These are difficult conflicts, which require the involvement and diplomacy of all of us. As a diplomat, I believe that these conflicts can be solved over time," Hubert Knirsch said.
In terms of NATO and the EU, he said that nobody has the right to veto Georgia's right to become a member of NATO or the EU. (Prepared by Mariam Chanishvili)