The event dedicated to the First Republic of Georgia, organized by the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information in partnership with the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia and the Embassy of Georgia in the Republic of France, was held on January 25, 2023.

On the inaugural day, a gathering was held at the Embassy of Georgia in France, where the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to France, Gotcha Javakhishvili, hosted representatives from IDFI, Tbilisi State University, and the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia.

Later, a presentation of a memorial album dedicated to Akaki Tchkhenkeli, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia and Ambassador of Georgia to France, was held at the French Higher School of Social Sciences (EHESS).

Giorgi Klidiashvili, the Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), welcomed the guests in attendance, which included Professor Claire Mouradian, Director of the Research Center for Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Eastern Europe; Charles Urjewicz, Professor Emeritus and President of the Noe Zhordania Institute; Gotcha Javakhishvili, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to the Republic of France; and Mirian Khositashvili, the Deputy Director General of the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia.

"Building a democratic, Western-oriented state should be based on the examples of the Tergdaleulebi, the second and third parties, and the parties of the First Republic. We must replace the pseudo-national values, misunderstood heroes and events, and false images created by communism for 70 years with the examples mentioned above," - said Giorgi Kldiashvili.

The authors of the memorial album of Akaki Tchkhenkeli, Anton Vatcharadze (Head of the Memory and Disinformation Department of the Institute of Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)) and Salome Chanturidze (Head of the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Center of Tbilisi State University), presented the book.

The event was attended by figures of political emigration, including Tamar Tchkhenkeli, the granddaughter of Akaki Tchkhenkeli, and descendants of Noe Zhordania, the former chairman of the government of the First Republic of Georgia.

At the end of the event, a discussion was held where the attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and share their views.

Representatives from IDFI and members of the academic community discussed ways to further research and collaborate on the topic of the First Republic.

The memorial album of Akaki Tchkhenkeli was created through collaboration between the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia. The album was funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The event was supported by the Embassy of Georgia in France and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).