Caucasus in Focus
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Armenia, Germany, EU: New Impetus for Bilateral Cooperation in Difficult Times
Sonja Schiffers¹ | Franziska Smolnik²
¹Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office
²German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze announced on July 1, 2022 that Armenia will become a bilateral partner of German development cooperation. This rescinds the German government’s decision from 2020, when as part of the development ministry’s 2030 reform it had determined that previous cooperation with Armenia would be phased out in the coming years. With the CEPA agreement coming into force and generally a more proactive approach towards the South Caucasus, the EU has been deepening its relations with Armenia as well. This intensification of cooperation takes place against the backdrop of the Russian war in Ukraine, and thus increasingly difficult conditions for Yerevan's "multi-vector foreign policy," a highly fragile security environment given the unresolved conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan, as well as tense domestic politics in Armenia. The situation requires a prudent approach from Armenia's European partners, and, accordingly, special sensitivity for and knowledge of the domestic and foreign policy conditions in which the country currently finds itself. At the same time, despite clear limitations in view of Armenia’s security challenges, German and EU cooperation with Armenia still has the potential to put into practice the values-based foreign policy agreed in the German government’s coalition agreement; and to give shape to a foreign and development policy that sustainably supports democracy, peace, and stability in the Eastern neighborhood.
Keywords: Armenia, Germany, EU, development cooperation, South Caucasus
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Regional Students’ Resilience: Coping with Precarious Life in Tbilisi, Georgia
Learn morepdf, 676 kbRati Shubladze* | Zakaria Tavberidze*
* Georgian Institute of Public AffairsThis study examines the challenges faced by students who have graduated from their secondary
education outside of Tbilisi, and are currently enrolled in Tbilisi-based higher education institutions. It
focuses on the crucial issue of affordable housing. Disparities between urban and rural areas in
Georgia create barriers to higher education for young people from peripheral areas. To comprehend
the behaviors and resilience levels of regional students in Tbilisi concerning these challenges,
academic staff and students from the sociology program at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs
conducted a mixed-methods research study. This approach involved a combination of online surveys,
expert interviews, in-depth interviews, and focus groups.
The study’s findings suggest that the housing crisis in Tbilisi is driving non-Tbilisi native students to
seek inadequate and often expensive alternatives in the city, leading to precarious employment and
negative impacts on academic performance and mental health. The study highlights the survivalist
approach of these students, adapting to immediate challenges rather than fostering growth. Although
students receive familial support, the absence of a collective resilience network among peers
negatively impacts their political agency and ability to participate in student movements to demand
better policies and services from educational or state institutions.
The study highlights the importance of more in-depth research into the transition of regional students
from survival to growth modes. Developing collective resilience is a vital component of promoting
positive social change in higher education policy in Georgia. The research enhances our knowledge
regarding the various difficulties confronted by regional students, and emphasizes the demand for
targeted interventions to improve their academic experience and overall well-being in the higher
education environment of Tbilisi.