The Rector of Tbilisi State University, Academician Jaba Samushia, opened the international scientific conference “Challenges of Protection and Research of Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century”, which brought together Georgian and Hungarian scientists interested in cultural heritage issues.

The opening ceremony was attended by Anna Sikó, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Georgia, Nana Gaprindashvili, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of TSU, representatives of the Hungarian Heritage House, the Georgian National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation, professors, students, and invited guests.

TSU Rector Jaba Samushia spoke about the challenges facing cultural heritage, especially intangible cultural heritage. He stressed the importance of scientific discussions and international cooperation with the participation of historians, ethnologists and anthropologists. “There is great interest in the cooperation we are beginning with the Hungarian Heritage House, because it is possible to find even more commonalities between Georgian and Hungarian cultures. Intangible cultural monuments are what we can use to reconstruct the past and get into the details of the ethnopsychology of the nation,” Jaba Samushia noted.

Anna Sikó, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Georgia, focused on the similarity of Georgian and Hungarian cultures and traditions. She said that she had spent much of her life building bridges between peoples of different countries and cultures, but in no other country had she seen so much in common as with Georgia in terms of traditions, language, music, dance, and history. Ambassador Sikó also spoke about the threats to the multicultural idea and the difficulties of preserving traditions. She said that tradition is identity and that we need to remember where we come from.

TSU professors Ketevan Khutsishvili and Rozeta Gujejiani read reports on the educational value of cultural heritage. The report was also read by Dr. Árpád Éles, guest lecturer at TSU.

The issue of cultural heritage has become particularly important and problematic in the modern world. On the one hand, the response to globalization processes has increased local interest in local (material and immaterial) cultural monuments; on the other hand, the same processes have led to an increased interest in foreign cultures. The high degree of mobility and the significant development of both global and local tourism pose new challenges to local authorities as to what kind of attitude they should adopt regarding the protection of cultural heritage monuments. The definition of cultural heritage is problematic. Its registration, protection and promotion require specific approaches and strategies, and there are differences between international (e.g. UNESCO, etc.) and local legal approaches. There are also differences in local perceptions and attitudes. All this requires scientific discussion and international cooperation. The aim of the conference is to create a discussion forum for Georgian and Hungarian colleagues interested in cultural heritage issues.