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GOVERNANCE and DIALOGUE Editor Professor Dr Melanie Sully GOVERNANCE AND DIALOGUE Editor Professor Dr Melanie Sully 1 CONTENTS Preface Ambassador Martin EICHTINGER Director General for Cultural Policy Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs 7 Danube Dialogues and the Black Sea Region Oskar WAWRA Director, International Affairs Department, City of Vienna 9 Governance and Dialogue Melanie SULLY Executive Director, Go-Governance Institute former Professor, Political Science, Diplomatic Academy, Vienna 13 The Culture of the Past as a Dialogue with the Future Jakub FORST-BATTAGLIA Director, Austrian Cultural Forum, Kiev, Minister Plenipotentiary Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs 21 EU-Moldova Dialogue and Good Governance Natalia GHERMAN Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Republic of Moldova 27 Civil Society: Contributing to Good Governance in Moldova Diana DIGOL, Programme Officer, OSCE/ODIHR, Warsaw, Carolina BUDURINA-GOREACII, State University of Moldova 33 Romania-Ukraine: Small Steps to a Strategic Partnership Sergiy GERASYMCHUK Strategic and Security Studies Group, Kyiv, Ukraine 45 Dialogue in Divided Crimean Society: The Experience in Local Communities Oleg SMIRNOV Director, Integration and Development Centre (IDC); Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, Taurida National Vernadsky University, Simferopol, Crimea 53 3 Ukraine between East and West, Between Past and Present Stefan SCHOCHER Journalist, “Kurier” Vienna 63 Language as a Political Tool: Does it Justify Good Governance in Ukraine? Sergii GLEBOV Associate Professor, Dean, Department of International Relations; Center for International Studies, Odessa Mechnikov National University 71 Russia’s Dialogue with the Council of Europe: Democratic Governance Yana ZABANOVA Analyst, European Stability Initiative Berlin 85 Turkey and the EU: Bringing Civil Society into the Dialogue Atila ERALP, Director, Centre for European Studies, METU, Ankara, Zerrin TORUN, Lecturer, Department of International Relations, METU, Ankara 99 Constitutional Change Dialogue in Turkey: Reform or Transform? Basak KALE Department of International Relations, METU, Ankara, Turkey 109 Dialogue: Governance and Society in Bulgaria after EU Accession Marin LESSENKI European Policies Initiative (EUPI) of the Open Society Institute-Sofia 123 Communication and Dialogue as Effective Tools of Good Governance in Armenia Gevorg MELIKYAN Independent Analyst, Chairman NGO “Alliance for Democracy”, Yerevan, Armenia 133 Decentralised Governance and Societal Development in Azerbaijan Azer MEHTIYEV Chairman of Support for Economic Initiatives (SEI) Public Union, Baku 141 Georgia’s Bumpy Road to Democracy: A Dialogue of Opposites Kornely KAKACHIA 151 4 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Tbilisi State University and Director of Tbilisi-based think tank Georgian Institute of Politics Mobile Governance: Technology to Promote Good Governance Alexander CEH, Former Chairman of the UN Youth and Student Association (UNYSA), Styria, Graz, Josef MANTL, Communications Entrepreneur Vice Executive Director, Go-Governance Institute, Vienna 165 5 6 PREFACE Ambassador Martin EICHTINGER Director General for Cultural Policy in the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, Vienna Austria attaches great importance to its relationship with the Black Sea Region, representing as it does, not only an important crossroad between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, but also as it links the European Union with some of the most intensely developing countries on the shores of the Black Sea. In this context, the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs organized in Tbilisi, in collaboration with Professor Melanie Sully Vienna and Kornely Kakachia of the Georgian Institute of Politics, in June 2012 a follow-up meeting of the conference “The Culture of Governance” held in Odessa the previous year. The present publication is the result of the conference held in Tbilisi and hosted by the State University. On this occasion, some of the best experts, academics, civil society representatives and diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Poland, Austria, the EU and the OSCE as well as several important NGO´s analysed the state of play regarding democratic culture and governance, progress made to date and challenges for faster implementation in the future. Over the last 20 years, the whole region and especially the Caucasus has undergone important political, economic and social transformation. The region has experienced the lingering impact of former communist governments, globalisation and armed conflicts, some of which have not even been resolved today. Despite this, the region, and especially Georgia, has witnessed one of the highest growth rates in the World. 7 Internationally, the Black Sea Region attracts growing attention due to its strategic importance and its role as an energy transit corridor. But we must also recognize that the Black Sea Region is a zone of great diversity in complex and difficult transition and transformation. Issues of democracy, such as human rights protection, rule of law, media freedom and transparent economic governance as well as fighting corruption have to be tackled. The region’s future lies in strengthening democratisation and economic integration with the globalized world. I sincerely hope that the organization of conferences and the present publication, which brings together contributions of speakers, participants and experts, helps to enhance a better awareness of the challenges facing the Black Sea Region and to foster constructive dialogue both with and within the region. This publication with contributions from different viewpoints, e.g. Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey and Romania, intends to raise some important issues regarding the present political and institutional situation in the Black Sea Region. My thanks goes to Dr. Oskar Wawra, Director of the Department of International Affairs of the City of Vienna, who has been our partner from the very beginning of the “good governance” project. To conclude, let me also extend my gratitude to the authors of this publication and especially to Dr Melanie Sully, of the Go-Governance Institute and former professor of the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, who deserves the highest praise for her commitment to scientific research concerning societies and governments of the Black Sea Region. 8 DANUBE DIALOGUES AND THE BLACK SEA REGION Oskar WAWRA, Director, International Affairs Department, City of Vienna Vienna plays an important role in the cooperation between the Danube Region countries, amongst them EU member states, and the Black Sea countries. This stretches not just to economic and cultural development but also to the enhancement of good governance to promote long term sustainability. Through city-to-city dialogues and events, Vienna has played an energetic role in raising awareness about common problems of municipalities. People find it comfortable to identify with their local city and through good governance, social and economic development can flourish. Some problems present challenges for the future and are specific to a country’s culture or environment. Nevertheless projects which seek to promote inter-cultural understanding and tolerance can pave the way for working on strategies which will work for the benefit of the peoples in the region. The EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)1 was adopted in 2010. The Danube Region is currently the home for 115 million people living in 14 different countries. The strategy for the Danube Region aims to secure, maintain and achieve social equality, prosperity and peace for the future in the region. Vienna is strategically well-placed to play a central role in this project and, like many other cities along riverways or on the shores of seas, knows only too well how important it is to secure populated areas from the hazards of flooding. Preserving the landscape for recreation and nature is part of the dialogue which is going on in this region supported by the EU. Vienna is a large hub on the River Danube and connects passenger and transport freight in the region. 1 http://www.danube-region.eu 9 Vienna has been working together with cities and regions – for example, in ARGE Donauländer2 and the Council of the Danube Cities and Regions3 – for many years. This has created a good basis for expanding collaboration through cooperation agreements with other cities, with the support of the Vienna liaison offices. The EU Strategy for the Danube Region represents another opportunity in this regard. Vienna is taking action in two ways: on the one hand, as a coordinator for the transnational implementation of Priority Area 10 (“To step up institutional capacity and cooperation”), and on the other, by participating in cross-border, transnational projects. Priority Area 10, which Vienna has been committed to from the outset, comprises the exchange of expertise through cooperation at all administrative levels and for solving public administrative problems. This also includes the further development of civil society, better and more efficient cooperation in cross-border regions and the optimisation of efforts and the utilisation of financial resources. Another area in which Vienna possesses a great deal of expertise is the exchange of experience and cooperation in the field of urban technology. No city, no country, no region is isolated in this global world. Therefore the Danube projects and the City of Vienna are dynamically
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