Prepared by Messenger Staff
Ukraine Thanks Georgia for Support on Independence Day
Ukraine's Embassy in Georgia published an Independence Day message from Chargé d'Affaires Dmytro Berezhnyi thanking Georgia for its support since Russia's full-scale invasion and for Georgian fighters serving alongside Ukrainian forces.
Berezhnyi said Georgian fighters understood the war as a common struggle against Russian imperialism, linking Ukraine's defense to Georgia's own experience of occupation.
He also thanked Georgia for hosting Ukrainians displaced by the war. More than 500,000 Ukrainians have passed through Georgia since February 2022, while more than 27,000 remain there, he said.
"We express our sincere gratitude to Georgia for every expression of support, for every Georgian fighter standing alongside us on the front line," Berezhnyi wrote.
He said Ukraine and Georgia shared a struggle for "freedom, independence, territorial integrity and a European future."
Harvard's Georgian Studies Program Closes After Funding Ends
Harvard's Georgian Studies program has closed after Georgia's Education Ministry declined to extend its funding, citing the lack of an agreed plan for its next phase.
Launched in 2022 at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, the program focused on Georgian language, history, politics and culture.
The ministry said Harvard had not submitted an agreed plan covering activities, budget, timeline and results. Former program head Natia Chankvetadze disputed this, saying Harvard had submitted reports and a new funding proposal but received no feedback.
"I think that, simply, there is no longer a political will from the ministry to extend this program," Chankvetadze said.
She said Georgian studies would continue at Harvard through language classes, a seminar and a planned project with Harvard's Center for International Development. Efforts are also underway to secure private and diaspora funding.
