The Rector of Tbilisi State University, Academician Jaba Samushia opened an international conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the 1924 uprising, which brought together scholars from Georgia, Poland, Finland, England, Azerbaijan and Armenia.  

At the conference, the Rector presented a review of the historical developments in the Caucasus and East-Central Europe that occurred 100 years ago. Subsequently, he presented a report entitled “The Struggle of Georgian Emigration against the Soviet Union (1920s-1930s).”

“The date we commemorate today is one that evokes both praise and lamentation. Despite significant pressure, Georgian patriots were able to make their voices heard on the global stage one hundred years ago, at the cost of many notable figures. The conference presents a number of interesting reports that will persuade the audience that Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, and Poles fought together against the formidable adversary known as Red Russia. In essence, the struggle against this formidable adversary persists in the present era. Twenty percent of our country’s territory remains occupied. Nevertheless, our nation will ultimately reunite and fulfill the aspirations of the 1924 rebels,” asserted Jaba Samushia.

The three-day international conference entitled “National Liberation and Anti-Soviet Movement in the Caucasus and East-Central Europe” is co-organized by the Mieroszewski Centre (Poland), the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia and with the support of Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia.

Dr. Lukasz Adamski, Deputy Director of the Mieroszewski Centre, said that as a historian, he believes that it is necessary to study not only the history of one’s own country but also to gain a comprehensive understanding of Russian policy by studying the histories of other countries that were previously under its influence. Furthermore, he highlighted that this conference presents a valuable opportunity for such research, and that the presented reports will shed light on a number of issues related to Russian policy.

The purpose of the conference is to focus on the formation of national and democratic ideas in the Caucasus under the communist totalitarian regime; to demonstrate the dynamics of the national liberation and anti-Soviet movement throughout the entire Soviet history (1920-1991); to highlight the main features of national liberation/anti-Soviet movements and analyze their relationship; to understand the national and anti-Soviet movement of the peoples of the Caucasus in the European context, which will make clear its role in the destruction of communist totalitarianism.