The FINANCIAL — Caucasus University plans to cooperate actively with Black Sea countries over the next year, especially with Turkey and Greece. Active partnership will be expressed in arranging conferences, CU representatives told The FINANCIAL.
CU has a good experience in arranging conferences. On May 2-4 Caucasus University with the support of the Friedrich Ebert fund and Pepsi-Cola prepared the First Regional Student’s Scientific Conference “Development Perspectives of the South Caucasus Region” which took place on the Bazaleti Lake complex. The conference was conducted by Shalva Machavariani, Vice-President for Research of the Caucasus School of Business and Professor Kakha Shengelia, Acting Dean of Caucasus School of Business.
“Caucasus School of Business presents singular opportunities in a community that offers students extraordinary academic and intellectual resources. The strengths of CSB are derived from its strong relationships with partner universities and business schools that have strong established traditions in teaching and scientific research and the know-how of our American partner Georgia State University. GSU is one of the ten largest colleges of business in the US; The support of the United States Department of State and the US Agency for International Development through the Eurasia Foundation. Such conferences always support students in increasing their knowledge,” Shengelia declared to The FINANCIAL.
The participants of the conference were students and young scientists from universities of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. The conference consisted of two sections: 1. Economy of the Countries of the South Caucasus and Building a Modern State, 2. Building a Legal State and Euro Integration. Mrs Ia Tikanadze, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Fund in Georgia and Mrs Victoria Shtorm, a representative from Pepsi-Cola, were actively involved in the process of the conference.
According to Tikanadze, the Friedrich Ebert Fund in Georgia had been supporting such conferences for two years already.
“Those two conferences were for Georgian students only whereas this was a regional one. The Friedrich Ebert Fund in Georgia has been represented here from 1998 and from the very day of its foundation it has always supported youth initiatives. This year the fund decided to hold the above-mentioned conference as it maintains the formation of students’ dialogue culture and gives a chance to expose their scientific potential. The topics suggested by the students were very interesting. Some of them have the chance to be implemented in everyday life” Tikanadze added.
CSB and neighbouring countries’ students held dialogues and topics on the following themes: Wine Tourism Development Strategies in Georgia, the author of the creation was Ana Khitashvili, Nanotechnology: A Perspective of the Georgian Economic, the author – Irakli Vekua, Regional Integration of Financial Markets as a Factor of Long-run Economic Growth, Ashot Yengibaryan, a student of the Russian-American University from Armenia, Education as a Factor of the Integration of Armenia in the All-European Economic Space, the author – Larisa Avetvsyan, Analysis of Consumer Sentiment Index for Azerbaijan – Ahad Aliyev, Global Information Society, Digital Divide and Digital Opportunities of the South Caucasus Region – Mariam Sulaberidze, and Georgian Innovation Opportunities – Lasha Machavariani.
“CSB had already held three conferences in the previous years. This conference is rather different from them and it is a good chance to establish close relationships and a coherent vision for Euro Integration between the countries of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The conference was a good chance for students and young scientists to expose their scientific potential. At the same time in the framework of the conference the best scientific works were selected and they will be published in the upcoming future,” Machavariani declared to The FINANCIAL.
“In the result of the first stage quite a large number of annotations and applications were received. According to the estimation criterion considered in the regulations neutral regalement invited from various institutions selected the works from Azeri University, the Armenian-Russian University and Georgian Higher Education Institutions. We gave them the chance to express their ideas, whether or not they are realistic or convenient. The conference showed us how the students’ ideas coincide with each other in the solving of economical problems. They also talked about accepting a common currency for the whole Caucasus region. CSB plans to cooperate with Black Sea countries, especially with Turkey and Greece,” Machavariani added.
The first Regional Student’s Scientific Conference “Development Perspectives of the South Caucasus Region” consisted of two stages. In the first stage Armenian, Azeri and Georgian students presented their topics to the audience and in the second part the ‘rewording’ process took place. The winners were nominated from both sections. Three winners were nominated from Economy of the Countries of the South Caucasus Section and three winners from Building a Modern State and Building a Legal State and Euro Integration Section. Nata Kokolashvili, Salome Sartania, Ana Sabakhtarishvili, Ashot Yengibaryan, Lasha Machavariani and Ahad Aliyev were the winners.
“This is a unique possibility for countries of the South Caucasus to become integrated in the European Higher Education System. Successful cooperation between the countries of these regions as a mutual vision will be developed in each scientific sphere. The conference was well organised and the participants are absolutely satisfied,” Ashot Yengibaryan, first place winner of the conference declared to The FINANCIAL.
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