Europe Day in Georgia marked with celebration of ties, illuminated landmarks
Landmarks across Georgia, including this one in the city of Rustavi, were illuminated with EU colours in celebration of the date. Screenshot from European Union in Georgia video.
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Georgia joined celebrations of Europe Day on Sunday, an annual date celebrating peace and cooperation across the continent, with landmarks across the country illuminated with European Union colours and messages recognising ties between Georgia and the EU.
In what has become a customary yearly celebration in Georgia, officials and diplomats shared their messages on the date - with representatives of 19 EU member states releasing statements, some of them in Georgian - while public initiatives were also involved.
In a change from in-person celebrations in the streets of Tbilisi over the past years, the measures were limited in form due to the pandemic, with a release of a video featuring Georgian and EU anthems kick-starting the occasion.
Described by European Union in Georgia as a "unique performance", the renditions feature the Evgeni Mikeladze Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra with its Music Director and Principal Conductor Nikoloz Rachveli.
Thank you Evgeni Mikeladze, Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra & Music Director/Principal Conductor Nikoloz Rachveli for this amazing rendition of the Georgian & EU anthems for #EuropeDay! pic.twitter.com/sPNMSsB9uH
— Carl Hartzell (@CarlHartzellEU) May 9, 2021
The performance involved over 100 musical artists including Guram Kurashvili State Choral Chapel of Abkhazia and its choirmaster Zviad Bolkvadze, pianist and composer Tsotne Zedginidze and students from the Zakaria Paliashvili Central Music School.
Released on EU Delegation in Georgia social media channels, the video was followed by statements from Georgian and European officials and diplomats, marking the date and the country's cooperation with the EU.
Concluding the day's celebrations, a dozen landmarks across Georgian regions were illuminated in EU colours, with the sites in cities and towns including Akhaltsikhe in the south, Kutaisi in the west, Telavi in the east and Mestia in the northern highlands seeing their monuments and buildings lit up.
Europe Day celebrations also included information released on the EU's support for Georgia in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with grants and loans of about 1.5 billion GEL ($435 million/€358 million) provided to the government by the EU and Team Europe, a group of 19 member states of the Union.
Notes on other programmes of support - including ongoing EU projects in Georgia reaching about €500 million and including access to the European market, student exchanges and support for local businesses - have also accompanied the Europe Day messaging.
The date is marked to commemorate the 1950 Schuman Declaration from the then French foreign minister Robert Schuman which set out ideas for a new form of political cooperation in Europe in the aftermath of World War II.
The declaration led first to the creation of European Communities, the precursor to the European Union, and eventually to the EU. The Union marks the 71st anniversary of the declaration in 2021.