Events & Programs

Between Russia and the West: The Challenge of Georgia

In August 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale military attack against Moscow-backed South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control of the territory following a series of clashes. Russian forces quickly repelled the assault, and pushed further into Georgia. Shortly after an EU-brokered ceasefire agreement ended the war, the Kremlin recognised South Ossetia and Georgia’s other separatist region of Abkhazia as independent states.

The conflict between Russia and Georgia raises questions of Russia’s strategy and position towards the West and its “near abroad”, the interdependence of the European Union and Russia and the challenges and opportunities Georgia presents for both the West and Russia. Join our expert panel for a fascinating analysis.

Panel
His Excellency Mamuka Kudava, Georgia's ambassador to France
Natalia Narotchnitskaïa, president of the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation and former member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
Noëlle Lenoir, president of the Cercle des Européens and former minister-delegate for European Affairs of France

Moderator
Florence Mardirossian, geopolitics expert and observer at the Russo-Georgian border in 2004 for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe