NATO is promoted in Georgia through children's drawings

On January 31, the NATO Information Centre in Georgia presented a calendar, illustrated with children's drawings and statements of activists of Georgian public organizations.

"The idea to collect pictures with statements of Georgian public figures was initiated by Ms Iya Abuladze, head of the Children's and Youth's Picture Gallery," Tengiz Gogotishvili, Chairman of the NATO Information Centre, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Every month of the year is illustrated by a children's drawing accompanied by ideas and utterances of Georgian public figures – artists, painters, writers, sportsmen and churchmen – on what NATO can give Georgia and what Georgia can give NATO.

When asked about the presence in the calendar side by side of viewpoints of pro-governmental public figures and outspoken oppositionists, Mr Gogotishvili answered: "That's just the main idea – to show that commitment to join NATO is not a political aspiration of some party, but the deliberate choice of the whole nation."

Liya Gorgadze, an employee of the above Gallery, said that initially the teachers of the Gallery had been concerned and doubted whether the children would be able to understand what the real NATO's offer to Georgia was.

"We held training sessions with children; and, frankly speaking, we had to learn ourselves. Children perceive kind attitude to them. They feel both good and the prospects that NATO promises to Georgia," Ms Gorgadze told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The calendar with children's drawings was printed in 1000 copies and will be distributed among public organizations of Georgia.