Caucasus Regional Security for the 21st Century
Tbilisi, Georgia
Mar 13-14, 1999

IREX-Tbilisi, in cooperation an organizing committee led by USIA Regional Scholar Exchange Program alumnus Vakhtang Maisaia, hosted a two-day conference entitled "Caucasus Regional Security for the 21st Century". Conference presenters included five other USIA alumni, two American scholars, two Moscow scholars, an Abkhaz representative, a Dagestani scholar, three Azeri specialists, two Armenians scholars, and six Georgian scholars and specialists. (see below of conference attendees). Attending the conference were ambassadors from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Ukraine, eight representatives from the Georgian Parliament, twelve NGO representatives and nineteen members of the press and others. The conference organizing committee included Maisaia, George Khutsishvili, USIA Regional Scholar alumni and Director of the International Center on Conflicts and Negotiation (NGO), Kakhaber Dzebisashvili, State Advisor to the CIS and Peaceful Caucasus State Affairs Bureau of Georgia, and Levan Geradze, Advisor to the Committee on Defense and Security of the Parliament of Georgia.

The first day of the conference examined Caucasus realities in contemporary world politics, with three plenary sessions that included "Ethnic and Religious Factors in the Caucasus: Stability or Chaos", "Perspectives for Regional Economic and Economic Development", and "Strategic Balance of Power in the Caucasus: Factors of Military Security". The second day examined past, current and future cooperation in the region, followed by brain-storming activities of three groups. Each of the three groups examined the main threats to peace in the region, and possible approaches to avoiding conflict. The first group brain-stormed on military and political affairs, the second group looked at regional and world economic developments, and the third group focused on religious aspects affecting peace and regional relations.

This text and the above photo has been developed according the review on the web-site of International Research and Exchange Board - Tbilisi, Georgia (IREX), where you can see more detailed information about the conference.