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“For a dialogue between civilizations, for tolerance, for peace”
1 October 2004 Tbilisi, Georgia
We, the participants of the International Forum "Globalization and a Dialogue between Civilizations", assembled in Tbilisi on the initiative of His Holiness Ilia II, Patriarch of All Georgia, and at the invitation of the President of Georgia Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili, appeal to all who are concerned over the growth of aggressiveness and violence in the world. We express our alarm in connection with the fact that manifestation of aggressiveness and violence affects millions of people and extends to ever new regions of the world, giving rise to aggressive fanaticism, inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts, and civil wars. The evil threatening our entire planet demands from us unity and resistance. We share the sufferings of those who have become victims of violence and express our sympathy and solidarity with them. Our minds have lost peace after Beslan. We are not the first to speak of these things. Over the centuries mankind has developed a system of common values. Our task is to get a dialogue started, replace hostility and confrontation with negotiations and mutual understanding. If we succeed in this, we shall leave behind a priceless legacy for the benefit of the future generations. We appeal to all men of goodwill on the globe with a call to multiply and unite their efforts against manifesting violence and to assist in the peaceful settlement of differences and conflicts through dialogue and negotiations. Being aware of our responsibility to the future generations, we call for safeguarding them from fresh wars, as is enshrined in the charter of the United Nations. We must exclude war and terrorism from the life of the human society. We call on public men, religious figures, and cultural workers to exercise all their intellectual and moral authority and influence to establish the spirit of tolerance and mutual understanding between people of differing views and religions, and to protect the rights, dignity and life of each person. We are convinced that solidarity of the intellectual community and among all men of goodwill can overcome the ever-increasing global menace of aggressiveness and violence. In the name of these goals, the Tbilisi International Forum "Globalization and a Dialogue between Civilizations” calls on the heads of state and government, the United Nations and UNESCO, other international organizations, officials of all levels, and parliamentarians of all countries to support initiatives and measures towards holding a dialogue between Civilizations. Considering the timeliness and urgency of the International Forum "Globalization and a Dialogue of Civilizations" held in Tbilisi, Georgia, known for her longstanding rich traditions of tolerance, close links of Georgian culture with the cultures of neighboring as well as distant countries, and taking into account the importance and role of Georgia as a crossroads of civilizations in the process of peaceful construction and development in the Caucasus, We deem it advisable to apply to the President of Georgia Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili, to the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan and the Director General of UNESCO, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, with the proposal of setting up in Tbilisi of an International Caucasian Centre of "Dialogue of Civilizations," which will undoubtedly make a significant contribution to the building of secure, just and humane peace in the Caucasus.
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