Tbilisi Int’l Book Festival suspends cooperation with Russian publishers due to war in Ukraine

The Tbilisi International Book Festival, one of the largest book festivals in the South Caucasus, has “completely terminated” cooperation with Russian publishers due to the country’s military aggression against Ukraine.

Released following ​​an open letter by Ukrainian literary organisations - entitled ‘Stand With Ukraine’ and issued on Thursday to ask for support from colleagues worldwide - the announcement by festival organisers revealed the termination of their collaboration with publishing houses from Russia.

We think that today, as never before, culture has a great duty and responsibility to raise its voice, to become an integral part of world politics, and, to the best of its ability, fight for the support of the Ukrainian people,” their statement read.

Hosts of the Tbilisi festival added they had never collaborated with Russian state organisations in arranging a Russian national stand at the event, explaining “we never wanted our festival to become a source of Russian propaganda in Georgia” on the backdrop of the Kremlin’s occupation of 20 percent of Georgian territory since the 2008 war between the two states.

The festival team added the only examples of cooperation included “specific, independent Russian publishing houses” which participated in the festivals with individual stands.

They also pointed to what they characterised as an impossibility of separating culture and politics, considering the military invasion of Ukraine which began on February 24 and has been “costing Ukrainians their lives and the lives of their loved ones.”

Organised by the Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association, the festival has been held annually since 1997, drawing together various foreign publishing houses along with Georgian ones.

The Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's leading literary event, recently suspended its cooperation with the Russian state institutions.

Russia began its military assault on Ukraine on February 24, after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of the recognition of the independence of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on February 21.