The “RondinEUrope” Committee is set up and the Region of Tuscany announces its entrance in Rondine’s Community Foundation

Thanks to the support of 52 Euro MPs who recognized the peace promoting work of the Italian association Rondine Cittadella della Pace, original and unique within the European scene, the “RondinEUrope Committee” was set up. It happened last Saturday, February 19, at the end of the round table “EU Towards the Caucasus” which saw the participation of some of the most important representatives of different European Union Institutions who decided to join forces in the name of a common cause: make the “Document in 14 points for peace in the Caucasus” an elaborate proposal for it to become a resolution of the European Parliament. Among the first to sign were the Euro Mps Roberta Angelilli, Gianni Pittella, Vittorio Prodi, Carlo Casini, David Sassoli, Silvia Costa, Katarina Nevedalova and, among others, Riccardo Migliori (Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly).

The “14 points” represent the heart of the project entitled “Ventidipacesucaucaso” which was started by the students of Rondine following the conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008. The document was approved by the 150 participants at the first international “Conference of the peoples of the Caucasus” in May 2009 at La Verna (Arezzo, Italy), all belonging to 15 Caucasian peoples and coming from different parts of the world.

The “RondinEUrope Committee” is also supported by Rosy Bindi, Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, who was the first one, together with the Under-secretary Carlo Giovanardi, to receive the “Document in 14 points for peace in the Caucasus” in Florence in 2009.

The Committee was set up thanks to the enthusiasm of the participants at the meeting and is now looking for adhesion both within institutions of the Italian civil society and of Europe so as to reach Brussels and Strasbourg as strong as possible. The first signatory among Italian Institutions was the Province of Sassari, thanks to the sensibility of its President, Alessandra Giudici, represented at last Saturday’s meeting by her councillor Enrico Daga. Mr Daga announced the availability of the Province to enter Rondine’s Community Foundation and suggested it as the location for the first international reunion of the “Rondini d’Oro” or “golden swallows”, former students of Rondine who are now back in their home countries. Also the academic world, represented by Aldo Ferrari, professor of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and leading Italian expert on the Caucasus, supported this perspective. Local institutions, first of all the Archbishop of Arezzo, monsignore Riccardo Fontana, underlined how the entire civil, cultural and religious community sees Rondine as a cause for pride for the entire territory.

The birth of the “RondinEUrope Committee” concluded a two-day activity focusing on the issue of peace and conflict resolution that had started with another important moment for Rondine: the President of the Region of Tuscany, Enrico Rossi, had in fact communicated, during the conference entitled “Tuscany in Europe. Rondine concretely peace” held on Friday, February 18, the entrance in Rondine’s Community Foundation (an instrument for international dialogue on reconciliation issues which counts among its founders with the presence of the Municipality and Province of Arezzo and the diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro).

Monsignore Giuseppe Betori, President of the Tuscan Conference of Bishops, was also present at the meeting, and demonstrated full support to Rondine on behalf of the conference he represents.

The two-day activity, organized in close collaboration with Banca Etruria, concluded with a moment dedicated to the appointment of two new Golden Swallows in Rondine’s International Hall of Residence: Anna Gorokhovatskaya, Russian, who will also be saluted during an official ceremony at the Lay Fraternity which supported her programme at Rondine with a scholarship, and Tanja Askapova from Macedonia. Furthermore, a friendship plaque was delivered to Donato palarchi, President of the club “Towards Europe”, pioneer of United Europe for more than 40 years.

Franco Vaccari, who was delivering the awards recognized how the “two acts made everyone understand how education is the art to transmit a heritage of values and achievements to those who, on their behalf, will have to commit to keep moving forward towards new goals of humanity and pacific coexistence”.