I am delighted to have the honour of addressing the session with the central topic that is highly urgent in our reality. "Youth for Peace" - peace shall be the concern not only for the youth but for us all, citizens of all ages. It is our duty to teach and set an example for young people, so they can comprehend and value such a fundamental concept as peace. For young people to work for peace themselves, they must first understand its meaning and be able to explain it clearly both to their peers and to their opponents, Speaker of the Parliament addressed the ceremony organized on the occasion of International Day of Peace.

According to him, peace is not merely the absence of war, absence of shooting and bombarding over our sky but rather a system built on consensus, traditions, laws, and justice:

"Peace is a much deeper concept, which means an order based on fundamental societal consensus, traditions, laws, and justice. We live in peace when the mechanism I have described, is effective as within, so beyond the country, in our neighborhood and a wider region.

Not a single day in the history of the mankind was spent without the war, confrontation and hostility in any spot of our planet. Appallingly, blood sheds in rivers everyday in the world and this bloodshed always brings benefits to certain individuals or groups, gaining profits from others" war, selling weapons since it is a proxy war for them and this, they aspire to ensure their security. That`s the reason, why wars became so natural for the humankind, prevailing over peace.

People find it much easier to get in confrontation than reach agreement and unity for their peaceful lives. So, peace is not for granted or a basic concept but the result of devoted diligence and special efforts. Every day, every year, and every decade of peace in a state must be cherished, as peace ensures well-being. Long lasting peace comes accompanied by certain threats. You grow up, generations come and go without encountering real war. However, facing war does not mean the witnessing of flagrant moments in real time but being aware of the contradictions and circumstances conditioning these disasters. Generations that grow up in peace perceive that peace comes for granted, that it is a natural state and thus, they gradually lose the skills of managing peacekeeping efforts. As a well-known proverb says, grave time gives birth to strong people. And strong people bring well-being, while the well-being nurses weaker generations. This is the very risk, which shall be addressed by our generation, being through turbulences and accumulating experience, and the mission and responsibility of administering the state was imposed on us by the reality. It is our duty to teach and set an example for our children, young generations by sharing our experience and knowledge", – said Shalva Papuashvili.

As per the Speaker, peace is a particular concept for Georgia: “The territorial integrity of our country has been violated, parts of our country are occupied. We must not only reclaim territories but also win back Abkhazians and Ossetians. The only starting point for the reconciliation process with them can be peace. There is no alternative to peace. And you, the young people, shall play a pivotal role, since yours are the future and this country.

That’s why, I would like to express my gratitude to Mme. Minister for organising this ceremony, for engaging youth and for her efforts. I sincerely hope that peace thematic along with the participation of the youth, will be put to numerous considerations and activities”.

The ceremony, attended by the representatives of the legislative and executive authorities, was opened by Tea Akhvlediani, Reconciliation and Civic Equality State Minister.