“We are close to the Georgian population, presently victim of an incident that provoked fear and dismay, opening the dramatic wound of the August 2008 conflict once more and bringing back elements of tension”.

The president of the Association Rondine Cittadella della Pace in Arezzo (Italy) said this while commenting on the news report of a false video of a Russian attack transmitted by a Georgian television channel which sparked panic within local population.

“It is sad to realize - he continued - how easy it can be to spark fear and tension within populations and how hard it can be to make people appreciate the silent and slow work of an association that, for years, has been committed to education, dialogue, reconciliation and peace for new generations, like Rondine Cittadella della Pace”.

“It would be good - he concluded - if Georgian TV channel Imedi transmitted, in addition to its apologies, and as a sign of real sorrow, a ‘triplicate time’ of testimonies of justice and peace existing in Georgia and the Caucasus. It would be a just compensation and a service to peace”.

Since 1997, Rondine has been committed to the promotion of dialogue through the experience of an International Hall of Residence in a small Tuscan village where students coming from different countries live together, including many Caucasian students. The Association has put into action many initiatives for the pacification of the Caucasus, among which the Document in 14 points that has already been delivered to the highest political and religious authorities in Italy and abroad.