Center of Georgian Studies opened at YSU

At the opening ceremony of the Center of Georgian Studies, YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan welcomed the attendees and noted that within the framework of the meeting with the Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, the ways of expanding the jointly implemented educational and scientific programs were discussed. 

"The Center of Armenian Studies has been operating at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University for many years and has trained a large number of Armenologists. We hope that the cooperation between the leading universities of the two countries and other educational institutions will give birth to new joint programs and new ideas, strengthening the educational ties between the two countries," said Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. 

The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia Zhanna Andreasyan, valuing the opening of the Center of Georgian Studies at YSU, noted that it will contribute to the development and strengthening of partnership relations between the two countries, as well as to the improvement of communication. 

"Creation of the center is also important for us from the point of view of training specialists well-versed in Georgia, which in turn will contribute to having specialists armed with comprehensive knowledge about the region and broadening perceptions about the region," emphasized Zhanna Andreasyan. 

The minister emphasized that they have adopted a policy of deepening knowledge about the region, including through language teaching. Speaking about the educational programs developed by the Armenian Government, she mentioned: "Within the framework of this policy, we have also launched Georgian language teaching programs in public schools, and today we discussed the possibilities of expanding these programs with my Georgian counterpart."

Zhanna Andreasyan informed that from September, as part of the bilateral cooperation, a joint scholarship program will be launched, which will provide the students of the two countries with the opportunity to study in a master’s degree program at Armenian and Georgian universities.

The Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia Giorgi Amilakhvari described the opening of the Georgian Studies Center at YSU as an important step towards the development of Georgian studies.

"Our countries have centuries-old friendly relations, which is a firm ground for strengthening the cooperative ties. We greatly appreciate the multi-faceted development of relations between the two countries and value the close cooperation between Armenian and Georgian universities," the minister emphasized.

Giorgi Amilakhvari noted that with the opening of the Georgian Studies Center, the partnership relations between the countries will achieve an even higher level. Referring to the activities of the Centers of Armenian Studies and Georgian Studies operating in the two countries, he emphasized: "The Center of Armenian Studies works successfully at Tbilisi State University, where many research works are carried out. Georgia has a great desire to deepen cooperation in the educational field, including by implementing exchange programs for students and teaching staff, which are part of our plans for the future."

Giorgi Amilakhvari assured that the Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth are committed to supporting the Center of Georgian Studies opened at YSU by providing both necessary materials and establishing cooperation between professors.

Mkhitar Gabrielyan, Dean of YSU Faculty of History and Candidate of Historical Sciences, expressed confidence that in the coming years the center will become one of the centers of promoting the strengthening of Armenian-Georgian relations and, most importantly, the development and awakening of Armenian-Georgian scientific and academic ties. 

"By opening a center for Georgian studies at YSU, we, first of all, pay tribute to all the classics of Armenian and Georgian studies, whose efforts have raised Armenian and Georgian studies to a level that meets the classical requirements of world science," said Mkhitar Gabrielyan.

Associate Professor Eduard Zohrabyan, Head of the Chair of History of Neighboring Countries of Armenia, Director of the Georgian Studies Center, Candidate of Historical Sciences, noted that Armenian-Georgian relations in all fields, including scientific, educational, cultural, political, economic, have a history of thousands of years, and on the basis of these traditions, and as a result of new developments in the region, the strengthening of relations between the two neighboring peoples is becoming relevant.

"Nowadays, the problems of getting familiarized with each other, appreciating each other's cultural heritage and, most importantly, ensuring the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage in Georgia, are becoming more relevant. There are many Armenian historical and cultural monuments in Georgia, and the local Armenians have always been the main part of the population, which made a great contribution to the historical, cultural, political, economic and social spheres of Georgia," Eduard Zohrabyan emphasized.

He noted that the publication issues of Georgian history textbooks in Armenian will be resolved soon so that students have the opportunity to study the history and culture of the neighboring country. Until now, the history of Georgia has been studied with Georgian and Russian books presented by lecturers. 

Referring to the further plans of the center, he said: "We plan to conduct research studies, and attempts are made to implement those studies together with Tbilisi State University. We also set the goal of organizing Georgian learning courses both for students and lecturers at the center."

Eduard Zohrabyan added that the teaching staff of the YSU Faculty of History is in close cooperation with the Center of Armenian Studies at Tbilisi State University, and the opening of the Georgian Studies Center will contribute to deepening the bilateral ties and implementing new projects. 

At the end of the event, the Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, getting familiarized with the literature available at the YSU Center of Georgian Studies, presented the center with one of the samples of Georgian Renaissance literature, the epic poem "The Individual" by Shota Rustaveli.

The employees of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia, representatives of various government agencies of Georgia, as well as YSU faculty members also attended the event.

For more details, watch the video.