“Popular diplomacy can do great things, even if they are little”: said the president of the association Rondine Cittadella della Pace, taking part in the meeting “For peace in the Caucasus: a popular diplomacy laboratory”, organized last 11th November in Trento (Italy) by the social cooperative of Rondine in collaboration with Trentino Spa, the OBC (Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso) and the University of Trento.

Following the greetings by the provost of the Faculty of Sociology of Trento, Mr. Bruno Dallago, who reminded us that the Caucasus is closer than what we think, Mrs. Lia Giovanazzi Beltrami, councilor for international solidarity and coexistence of the autonomous province of Trento  intervened and, after her, Mr. Paolo Manfrini, director of the external relations area of Trentino Spa. Mrs. Beltrami underlined that the political task of her department is to connect in a network all the initiatives of the territory committed to peace, while Mr. Manfrini announced that 500 students from schools in Arezzo would be guests in Trentino in the places of the great war where peace was built.

Getting in the heart of the matter Prof. Aldo Ferrari from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, also collaborator of the ISPI (Institute for International Politics Studies)  of Milan, chronicled the last historical events of the Caucasus. “Conflicts are still open now - he said - but they are not the essence of its history, which is much more older and rich in culture”.

Following the intervention of Mr. Giorgio Comai, OBC researcher, it was Franco Vaccari’s turn: “Rondine has bet on youth: in a time of non resolved conflicts, two young people holding hands here are not considered as traitors. Through the Friendship trip in the Southern Caucasus and Turkey we have experimented that the small characters of history can become bigger and more important.

Two students from Abkhazia, Kan and Kama, were the ones to remember the trip which was the high point of a project for the Caucasus started by Rondine two years ago following the Russian-Georgian conflict in August 2008. “Before getting to Rondine I had never had the opportunity to see the enemy’s point of view” said Kan. “Now I have understood that the world is beautiful, it’s big and small at the same time” added Kama. Together with them Rouba, Lebanese student, underlined the transversal commitment of the students who were decided to help their Caucasian friends even if they come from different parts of the world.

Mrs. Luisa Chiodi, scientific director of the OBC, reasserted the lack of knowledge we have in Italy and Western countries in general about Caucasian problems. Finally the ambassador Giuseppe Cassini, moderating the meeting, insisted on the importance of popular diplomacy as the ideal tool when populations find it difficult to communicate through official diplomacy.