Interview with H. E. Tamara Liluashvili, Ambassador of Georgia in Hungary, on the occasion of Georgia being the next guest at the Ludovika Ambassadors’ Forum on 2th of April.
You have studied in both America and Europe. What specific characteristics have you observed in the higher education? Could you share some of your experiences?
I actually went to study as an exchange student in America in 1992. I was only 14 years old. There was a special program between American and Georgian families called Friendship Force International, and in the framework of this project, the state of Georgia was connected to the country of Georgia. My family went to Atlanta to stay with the family, and then that family came to our country to stay with us. That’s how the connection started. Then I was offered to take part in the exchange program, and I agreed. This happened in 1992, in a very, very dark and gruesome period in Georgian history. The country was going through a lot of changes: there was a war going on on the black seacoast of Georgia called Abkhazia, which is now occupied by Russia So this program was a good occasion for me to leave the country if I wanted to progress in my education. I went from the country of Georgia to the state of Georgia.
What were your impressions there?
My English was not great: I knew grammar very well, but the practical aspect was difficult. I arrived in the small town called Snellville, Georgia, and I started ninth grade in an American high school. It was a very bizarre experience because at that time nobody knew about Georgia. It was a very mysterious place for the Americans, especially for those in Snellville. From that point on, I became ambassador by default, I guess, telling everyone where Georgia was, what was happening in Georgia, how we lived, I talked about our culture, our tradition. So I feel that my current position was very much influenced by my experiences I had at the age of 14. Today, 14-year-olds are very knowledgeable about everything, but in 1992, we hardly knew anything about America. So it was a really big shock for me to start studying among the American students who were so different from me. I came from a country where at that time we had electricity by schedule, running water by schedule. Therefore I started telling my story from the very first day on. It worked, and here I am today as the ambassador of my country, which I love. I am very thankful and grateful to be one of the very few people who have a great job that they love and get paid for it.
How many years did you spend in the U.S.?
Four years in high school, then I applied and received a full scholarship to one of the leading universities there. I then ended up graduating there and started working. There too, I was very lucky to find a job in the field that I was really interested in. I worked for a nonprofit organization that promoted international awareness and education and my job was to set up events that told international stories, organize events with different country presidents, prime ministers, ministers who came to visit Atlanta at that time. My career evolved always in this international field.
You then got a master’s degree from Grenoble, France. What difference did this European experience bring to your professional life?
It was an executive program, so I didn’t spend much time there. I was always traveling. Later, I became Donald Rumsfeld Fellow, Visiting Scholar at American Foreign Policy Council, Central Asia – Caucasus Institute. The foundation is actually based in the US, and it was created by former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. The idea behind the foundation is to give the scholars of Central East Asia and Caucasus an opportunity for furthering their studies and connections.
You became a leader at the age of 23, and in the USA, at The Southern Center for International Studies in Atlanta, serving as Director of Operations and Community Relations Manager. To what do you attribute your rapid career growth? What knowledge and experience helped you along the way?
I think that goes back again to me moving alone to America at the age of 14 in 1992. My leadership skills developed when I had to take care of myself and lead my life. There was no other way and choice. When I started working at the international Center, I started as an assistant coordinator and very soon became the Operations Director because of the fact that I could never rest, I could never stop. I was always active and they saw my skills and offered me this management position, which of course was a wonderful opportunity and honor. This Center that I worked for is a member of World Affairs council and is a leading center in the Southern part of the United States. So it was a big honor for me, really.
What kind of skills did you need? What kind of advice could you give to the university students wishing to have an international career?
I think communication, adaptability, appreciation for other cultures and appreciation of different situations are very important. Because if you are not easily adaptable, if you don’t know how to speak to a stranger and don’t have that communication skills, I think it is very difficult. And then the education, of course, is the most important.
Can you mention some situations which illustrate the importance of good communication skills?
Communication skills meaning easily meeting other people, being able to make friends easily, being able to speak well because that’s also part of the communication. So, to be a successful in any career and special in diplomacy, ability to express yourself well and speak well is a very key skill. I think it is very important to quickly understand the surroundings, the situation, and make yourself fit into that situation. Ability to assimilate quick, ability to learn new languages, ability to represent your country to the best possible way is very important in this profession.
Can this skill be learnable?
Yes. I studied a lot of PR communication, and that also helps you to promote your country. Marketing is also a very important course to take because that also teaches you how to market yourself, your country, and the right way is very important.
You have worked in Bulgaria, in North of Macedonia, and now in Budapest. What similarities and differences have you experienced?
I have lived in Bulgaria for four years, and as the head of the mission there I covered North Macedonia, too. So I didn’t live in North Macedonia, I just travelled quite often. Now from Hungary, I cover Montenegro, too. The work is pretty much similar because the main aspect of our job is to promote our country, to promote our culture. I have worked In Bulgaria, during the COVID, so I couldn’t really do much, although there is an important economic connectivity between the ports of Georgian ports and the Bulgarian ports. Here in Hungary, there are lots of opportunities for us to connect, for example the new project, the Green Energy Corridor, which will be securing alternative energy sources coming into Europe and Georgia is the transit country for that. Diplomatic agenda for Hungay and Georgia is very busy. Having exemplary bilateral relations give you an opportunity to focus on other aspects of how to connect the two friendly countries.
Did you manage to travel a little in Hungary?
I sometimes wish I had more time to see outside of Budapest, but I don’t. However, my son and my husband have travelled a lot, because my son plays football and they have tournaments all over. So he’s been to such cities that maybe you cannot find on the map, but it’s there. It was so funny because last week I went to Kecskemét to meet with the mayor and when I came back home, I told I was in Kecskemét, and my son said, oh, we’ve been there twice. So my son knew exactly where that city was in Hungary. This is very special and this is what I love about my job that my 11 year old son knows Hungary and such small cities. Children of diplomats are lucky to have this opportunity to learn about the world in a way that many do not have a chance to learn.
When you assumed your role as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 2023, what goals did you set regarding Georgian-Hungarian relations?
We have so many similarities and we share such similar pasts that it’s easy for our people to understand each other. We have the legacy of the Soviets and the communist regime. Both countries strive for its sovereignty and have territories taken away from. The Christian values are another big aspect between the two countries. Based on these facts, Hungary is one of the strongest supporters of Georgia and Georgia’s European integration and your EU accession related experiences are very useful for us. So, my goal from the very beginning was to strengthen these existing relations and make sure it prospers further.
Georgia has a rich cultural heritage, but it is relatively little known in Hungary. What would you recommend to those interested in learning more about your country? Where and how should they begin? This could include literature, gastronomy, or travel destinations.
It’s so funny because I meet two different groups, one group that knows a lot about Georgia because of the common legacy of the Soviet era. And there is a new generation that actually knows quite a lot about Georgia too, but from a touristic aspect. So I feel that Georgia is known, I just wish that Hungarian knew it more. I think the fact that we have direct flights to one of the major cities in Georgia and hopefully soon we will have flights from Budapest to the capital will help to promote Georgia and make it more visible. There will be more promotional events. Recently we had a big presence at the Buda Castle Wine Festival. We had Georgian food, we had Georgian wine, we had Georgian dance and music. It was so amazing that our stands were full of people, and everybody was interested. In 2027, it will be the 200th anniversary of Mihaly Zichy’s birth. He is a well-known Hungarian painter, who has painted the illustrations for the most famous Georgian heroic epic so everybody studies about him in the school. We also connect Hungarian and Georgian cities as sister cities. I would recommend for those who are interested to learn more about Georgia to visit Georgian Restaurants in Budapest, to visit exhibitions of Georgian artists that are coming to the city, to get a peak into the culture of Georgia through its national dance group that travels to Budapest almost every year and ofcourse the best way to learn more about a country is to visit. A very short flight to Georgia on wizzair will give you this opportunity.
You will be visiting Ludovika University of Public Service for the first time. How do you see the potential for scientific cooperation in higher education?
Hungary and Hungarian institutions are top schools and priorities for Georgian students. We have this wonderful program of Stipendium Hungaricum which allows up to 80 Georgian students a year to come to Hungary for studying. And I must say that Hungary today is probably one of the safest countries to live in and that’s a big plus for the students’ families. There are cooperations between our universities and local universities here. ELTE, Corvinus University, University of Miskolc, and we have some cooperation with the Ludovika. So we are connecting and now it’s up to the individual entities to continue. Our job is to make sure that we make the connection, and hopefully these initial contacts will grow further. And there are wonderful opportunities for Hungarian students also to come to Georgia. We recently have had a delegation of Georgian Parliamentarians, the Committee on Education Youth and Sciences and they offered to host up to 50 students on yearly basis to attend summer camps in Georgia and then vice versa: the Hungarian side also agreed to host Georgia students for the summer camps here. I think it is very important for the young generations to be open, explorative and capable to understand each other. And in general, no country is the same, everyone has unique culture, everybody has different values and morals, although they might be similar. So everyone has to understand and appreciate. It’s just like individuals. We’re all different and unique in our own way.
