Kakha Kaladze: Georgia Can Draw Positive Examples from Italy

Kakha Kaladze, a former football player had a successful career playing in Europe particularly during his time at Associazone Calcio Milan (A.C. Milan), where he won several laurels that standout in his illustrious career. Kaladze who is now Mayor of Tbilisi spoke to Diplomat Magazine and shared first hand insights about the nation of Italy and his ongoing efforts to further strengthen the relationship between Georgia and Italy from his position as mayor of Tbilisi.

Let us talk about Italy, what does this country mean to you?

Italy is a country that I share an important life connection with – I experienced immense success in my footballing career and in my personal life (I met my wife in Milan) in Italy. Milan is my second home because all my success in football is tied to an illustrious club in the city.

How do you remember the years you spent working and living in Italy?

I said earlier in other interviews that nothing came easy in my life, and that includes moving to Associazione Calcio Milan (A.C. Milan). I have come a long way in life, but through hard work and willpower, I have been able to do everything. You will only turn out a soccer star if you have a strong character. Difficulties help a person to achieve growth so, you have to give up many things. Of course, even in Italy, there were many difficulties that I had to overcome to gain victory. What is the current connection you share with Italy? As I have earlier mentioned, Italy is my second homeland and obviously I have a great love for it; I remain connected to my friends in Italy with whom I share all of my success, joy, and pain. I have very precious memories of Italy.

Which are your favorite places in Italy and how often do you visit the country?

Of course, Milan - it’s a city of fashion, design, sports and at the same time, a city of science and universities. Milan is a city of contrasts, where you are fascinated by antiquity and modernity. My work schedule is quite tight so, I often cannot allow myself to visit Italy, although I visit at least twice a year.

Which Italian city do you consider similar to Tbilisi and why?

Although Tbilisi is not bordered by the sea, but for its abundant houses built on slope and color, we can compare Tbilisi to Naples. However, it is still hard to draw a parallel, as Tbilisi is an ancient city whose original look and feel has been retained over time. Our goal too, is to preserve the architecture and style that characterizes Tbilisi as a unique city on its own.

Do you have a desire or have you attempted to replicate a specific Italian practice or experience in Tbilisi? Or do you have anything in the works?

Of course, there are many things we can take a cue from the example of Italy. We can learn from Italy in the areas of urban planning, public transport development, greenery, ecology, bicycle transport, electric cars, etc.

How would you rate Italy-Georgia relations and where do you see prospects for developing these relations?

Georgia has established close partnership and relations with Italy. Our cooperation is in the areas of defense, economics, transportation, culture, education and more. Last year, the President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, paid his first historic visit to Tbilisi. Within the framework of his visit, Memorandums of Understanding on Health, Education and Culture were signed between Georgia and Italy. I am glad that these relations have become even closer lately. Georgians and Italians have a lot in common in terms of values, culture, traditions, and I think relationships can be developed in many ways.

The twin city of Tbilisi is Palermo, although the twinning happened quite early in 1987, do you plan on expanding the twinning area in this regard to Italian cities or with other countries.

Yes, Tbilisi has 19 twin cities and Palermo is among them. Of course, we are eager to have more partner cities, including Italian cities. Our work in this direction is underway.