On the 17th and 18th of October, the next gathering of the Solidarity Platform took place. The main topics of the meeting were the Georgian parliamentary elections and the importance of regional peace. On the first day, politicians Elene Khoshtaria, Dimitri Tskitishvili, and Grigol Gegelia discussed the ideologies, strategies, and agendas of the political parties of Georgia. Moreover, they discussed the development and thrust dynamics of the Georgian political parties. Afterward, Zaur Khalilov and Izabela Osipova, the ethnic minority representatives of CSOs, shared their observations on what has been changed in the electoral processes, during the last 30 years, from the perspectives of the non-dominant ethnic groups.

On the second day of the platform, Nino Kalandadze and Ivliane Khaindrava discussed the idea of peace in the Caucasus, and they shared the peacebuilding perspectives, experiences, and opportunities for the region. Furthermore, Paata Zakareishvili, Tornike Sharashenidze, and Giorgi Kanashvili, with the active participation of the members of the Solidarity platform, discussed the past, present, and future of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

At the end of both days, the members of the platform, within a circle process, collectively reflected on the discussed topics and shared their opinions on the Georgian elections and regional peace.

The solidarity Platform unites activists from Tbilisi, Achara, Kvemo Kartli, Pankisi, and Samtskhe-Javakheti. The goal of the Solidarity Platform is to build bridges between the activists living in regions of ethnic and religious minorities. Moreover, the platform aims to strengthen their participation and voices in public life.  

The platform was made possible through the project “Strengthening Ethnic Minority Integration and Rights Protection via Research, Education, Advocacy, and Confidence-building Activities,” supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Tbilisi in cooperation with the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC).