Exploring Georgia's Regions: Ambassador Maaike Van Koldam Reflects on Development Challenges, and the Netherlands' Support

In this interview, we sit down with Ambassador Maaike van Koldam, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Georgia. During her time in Georgia, she embarked on journeys to various regions, witnessing their unique characteristics, development prospects, challenges, and potential. From supporting local initiatives to fostering cultural exchanges and promoting women’s rights, Ambassador van Koldam sheds light on the Embassy’s endeavors to strengthen ties with Georgian civil society. As her mission nears its end, she reflects on the country’s progress, resilience, and its aspiration for closer integration with the European Union.

During your mission in Georgia, you visited several regions. What are your impressions of the regions, their development, challenges, and potential?

You are right, I did visit some regions and each and every of these trips has left an unforgettable impression on me. As an ambassador I spend most of the time in the capital, where I can connect with my immediate counterparts – government, Parliament, my colleagues – other ambassadors. Tbilisi is the place where everything is happening all the time – leading NGO’s hold their events, business people invite me for different functions; and, naturally, as I am constantly in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, quite a lot of my working time is spent behind my desk and my computer in the office or in the residence. However, I think that in order to learn the country better, it is essential to visit regions, be outside Tbilisi as well, talk to people beyond the immediate network. I have visited most of the Georgian regions – there may still be a couple I missed (after all, two years of my posting fell on Covid and the lockdown); but it is always good to have something to come back to in the future.

Every region is different but what they all have in common is great Georgian food with regional influences, beautiful nature, great hospitality and, most importantly, many hard-working, talented women and men. Life in the regions may sometimes be harder than in Tbilisi – fewer jobs make many people move to Tbilisi – or even take up jobs in Europe, leaving their beautiful town or village behind. But I very much hope they will be able to come back.

What do you see as the development potential for these regions, and what challenges do they face?

Most regions see their development potential in tourism and agriculture, and fortunately, there are many initiatives supported by the international community that help local guest house owners or farmers strengthen and improve their businesses. For the Netherlands, our focus is on agriculture.

Development potential is certainly there. Some challenges can be in infrastructure and education, particularly in vocational training. Additionally, a well-developed rule of law remains essential for a good investment climate, including an independent judiciary and protection of vulnerable groups in society. These are areas where our embassy is eager to team up with our Georgian counterparts, with our official counterparts and with the vibrant and strong civil society.

Can you share specific experiences or highlights from your visits to the regions?

I am tempted to give you the name of the region that is on top of my list, but I think that would be unfair to the rest, as everywhere I go, I am met with respect and hospitality, amazing personal stories, and commitment to local communities. Some recent highlights have been the wooden mosques in Upper Adjara, meeting the women who take care of cattle and produce dairy products in a traditional way on Chirukhi Mountain, visiting the stunning Vani Archeological Museum, experiencing strong media in Marneuli, and the warm hospitality in Pankisi. I was also impressed by the many things to see and do in Kvemo-Kartli and the beautiful scenery and vineyards in Kakheti. I could go on and on; there is not enough space on these pages to describe the beauty of Georgia.

Your Embassy’s work in Georgia - can you share information how do you support the civil society here?

The Netherlands does support projects by Georgian civil society organizations. When we make our shortlists, we try to have a fair division between projects by Tbilisi-based CSOs and those from the regions. Organizations in the regions face even bigger challenges when it comes to fundraising, as we request proposals in English, internal policies to be in place, and a strong track record in administration of funds. . However, we realize that many committed activists in the regions cannot easily compete with strong, experienced Tbilisi-based organizations that are more visible and institutionally more developed. Fortunately, most of our Tbilisi partners also establish partnerships with their counterparts in the regions and carry out activities there, sharing the same enthusiasm, drive, and motivation.

Could you provide some examples of the current projects the Embassy is involved in with Georgian civil society organizations?

Some of our current partner organizations in the regions are the Tetritskaro Youth Center, which helped to strengthen the local Samgereti girls' football club. We also work with the Solidarity Community from Adjara, engaging with women and young people on health and education. In addition, the Tbilisi-based Internews Georgia empowers several media organizations in regions like Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti.

We have also collaborated with Marneuli Radio and support Batumelebi as well as OC Media. In Samegrelo, we cooperate with Association Merkuri on promoting women's rights. In Marneuli, we have two more projects: a political school for young people set up by the New Thinking Institute and a unique project by Marneuli Cultural Center and local puppeteer Armen Hovhannisyan, who are working on a puppet show about a girl named Aisya who lives in a multi-ethnic village where everyone treats each other with respect. The play will be shown to 1,600 pupils from the Marneuli municipality.

Alongside these projects, our Embassy has a special prize called the "Local Embassy Tulip" that we have been awarding for several years to community activists specifically from Georgian regions. Through this award, we have discovered real gems who are bringing positive changes to their communities at a grassroots level.

Your mission in Georgia is coming to an end. Looking back at your time as Ambassador in Georgia, what specific moments or achievements stand out to you as highlights of your tenure?

It has been a great honor to represent the Netherlands as Ambassador to Georgia and in such interesting times as well. Even though I came here with considerable diplomatic experience and knowledge of the wider region, I was still impressed by the dynamics: the country never stands still, including the historic moment when Georgia was granted European perspective last year.

Covid had its influence on my posting: I was in charge of a big change in our way of working, of taking care of my team’s physical and psychological health more than under normal circumstances and making sure that all consular services to Dutch citizens are provided well. But we felt in safe hands in Georgia and are grateful for the support we received as embassy, also from our official counterparts.

The brutal and unjustified invasion of Russia into Ukraine has overshadowed the joy that work normally brings and makes us realize again that Georgia has also experienced tragic times of war, like in 2008. This makes us even more eager to team up with all our counterparts, whereas the Netherlands at all international fora expresses its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. I am glad that the Netherlands can contribute quite a number of monitors and experts to the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia. Also in other areas it has been great to be part of Team Europe in Georgia.

While I served here with a lot of pleasure, one event will stick in my mind as a black day:  it is the Pride March that could not take place on 5 July 2021, when journalists and LGBTI activists were attacked, which is contrary to the history of diversity and tolerance in Georgia as well as to the European aspirations which are supported by the population at large. I was impressed by the support expressed by many people who came to Rustaveli Avenue on the 6th of July, demonstrating against the violence of the previous day. I truly hope that Pride will be seen as the celebration of equality and diversity which it is and am encouraged by the increased tolerance as shown in recent opinion polls.

I would summarize these four years as intense, interesting, intriguing and certainly unforgettable. I hope that I have made my modest contribution on behalf of the Netherlands to bring Georgia closer to the EU – which is enshrined in Georgia’s Constitution and is also the choice of the biggest part of your population.

I thank all the people that I have come across in these four years: official counterparts, politicians, civil servants, artisans, activists, artists, entrepreneurs and of course my great embassy team. All have been crucial in helping me understand the country better, by being so supportive, accessible, by challenging me in our sharing of thoughts, by being open for dialogue and offering great hospitality. Georgia will always have a special place in my heart and memory.