Events

On May 8, at 14:00, in room G 106, Ilia State University, within the European Days in Georgia, in order to celebrate Europe Day: 5 May for the Council of Europe, and 9 May for the European Union (EU), Ambassador of Switzerland to Georgia, Giunter Bekhler, will deliver a speech on the topic: How to stabilize the European Security Architecture.

Giunter Bekhler was born 1n 1953, in the city of Basel. He studied the history of art at the University of Basel and political science and regional research and modern history at the Free University of Berlin. He holds a PHD degree from the University of Bremen in conflictology. Mr. Bekhler worked as a researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH), as well as on the conflicts between the East and the West. Since 1988 to 2000, he was a founding director of the Swiss Peace Foundation. In 1996, he participated in the negotiation and mediation skills training in the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Program on Negotiation at Harvard. His vast experience in the field of international relations and conflict resolution enabled him to take charge of the newly founded Division for Conflict Prevention and Transformation of The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in 2001. In 2005, in Nepal, he was appointed special counselor of Political Division of The Switzerland Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as a counselor, he made a valuable contribution to peaceful development of the country and formulation of its constitution. In 2007, in Darfur, Sudan, Giunter Bekhler’s candidature for General Counsel with respect to the matters of peace was approved, and since August, 2009, he has served as a chief mediator of the same division, and before June, 2010, he was actively involved in peace negotiations.

Date and Time: May 8, 14:00

Location: room G 106, Ilia State University, G. Tsereteli Street #1

Language: English, simultaneous interpretation in Georgian will be provided.

All welcome to attend the event.