Georgia celebrates 100th anniversary of independence with Korea

Georgian Ambassador to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili speaks with The Korea Times at the embassy in Seoul, on May 2. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Colors of Georgian flag to be lit up at Seoul City Hall on May 26

By Yi Whan-woo

Georgia and Korea share a common ground in that they were occupied by their respective neighbors — Russia and Japan — and fought for freedom and independence.

This makes the people of the two countries emotionally attached when it comes to peace, and Georgia will step up efforts to bring them closer on the 100th anniversary of its Independence Day, says Georgian Ambassador to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili.

He said the 100th anniversary on May 26 would be especially meaningful considering the leaders of the two Koreas held a summit on April 27 at Panmunjeom and announced a joint declaration on denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

“Regarding the summit, it’s really important to point out that it coincides with Georgia’s 100th anniversary,” Berdzenishvili told The Korea Times at the embassy early May.

“The Georgian government and the people support the peace initiative ... because it reflects us as well. We know what it means by peace because ... it is one of the most important issues for my country and for my people.

“The Panmunjeom Declaration already proved that it appeals for peace ... and from our side you have the full support in this regard.”

Georgia declared its independence from the Russian Empire on May 26, 1918 and adopted the Act of Independence that gave birth to the country’s first republic.

The Soviet Red Army invaded Georgia in February 1921. The country became a sovereign state in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Georgia established diplomatic relations with Korea a year later.

Despite its short-lived years, Georgia’s first republic demonstrated notable characteristics as a democratic country, according to the ambassador.

He pointed out that Georgia was the first country in the region to stipulate voting rights for men and women under the constitution and that the country had six congresswomen in its first parliament.

“This is very important because, since the beginning of creating the country’s first major pillars, the values of democracy and women’s rights were there. And we’re very proud of it,” he said.

To mark the 100th anniversary, the ambassador visited Gwangju early this year and gave a lecture to university students about Georgia’s history, language, wine and manuscripts, which he claimed were among the world’s oldest.

He also hosted a commemorative reception at Somerset Palace in downtown Seoul on May 15 attended by other foreign envoys here as well as Korean diplomats and business people.

On May 26, the red and white colors of the Georgian flag will be lit up at Seoul City Hall.

“That’s type of creative thing we’re planning everywhere in the world and Korea is among them,” he said.

The embassy plans to bolster exchanges in culture, tourism, academics and trade to raise Korean awareness of Georgia.

It will especially focus on cultural projects, such as a wine festival, movie week and folk ensemble.

“When you are making cultural projects, you are reaching every corner and every house,” he said.

Korean Air ran a chartered flight between the Georgian capital Tbilisi and Incheon on May 17, in cooperation with the embassy and Korean travel agency Hanjin Travel.

It was the first direct flight between the two countries. There will be two more flights, on May 24 and 31.

Originally, only two flights were scheduled, with the May 31 flight being added because “there was big demand from the Korean people,” according to the ambassador.

“We could say more than 500 passengers could travel through the three flights together and the number will go up,” he said.

For trade, the ambassador claimed Georgia had advantages over its neighbors because it was “the only democratic country” in the Caucasus region.

“Georgia is also the only country (in the region) that enjoys a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with European Union plus China,” he said. “Georgia also has free trade agreements with all Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Russia.”