Event Dedicated to Abkhazian Language Day at GTU

“A language is not merely a collection of words. It is a repository of a people’s historical experience, a distinct way of perceiving the world, the memory of ancestors, and a spiritual heritage passed down to future generations. Within a language live a people’s thoughts, their myths, oral traditions, pain, and joy, as well as the invisible bond that connects generations. For this reason, when we speak of the Abkhazian language, we are discussing not just a single language, but a vital part of Georgia’s cultural landscape, our shared history, and the responsibility each of us has to preserve this heritage and pass it on to the future. Abkhazia is inseparable from Georgia’s historical, cultural, and spiritual sphere. Its significance can’t be reduced merely to geographical borders or specific historical periods. Abkhazia is deeply embedded in our country’s historical memory. Its cultural identity, architectural monuments, oral traditions, music, customs, and language are all part of Georgia’s centuries-old. It creates the overall picture of history,” stated David Gurgenidze, the Academician and Rector of the Georgian Technical University. He made these remarks at the opening event of the first annual international student school titled “Logic, Language, Artificial Intelligence, and Knowledge Engineering” – organized by the GTU’s Research Institute for the Cultural Protection and Technological Development of Georgia’s State Languages. The school was held in observance of the “Days for the Protection and Development of Georgia’s Digital Sovereignty” and “Abkhazian Language Day”.

As part of the “Days for the Protection and Development of Georgia’s Digital Sovereignty” at the Georgian Technical University, the first annual international student school dedicated to Abkhazian Language Day – titled “Logic, Language, Artificial Intelligence, and Knowledge Engineering” will take place over the course of four days. Participants will include researchers from various universities, among them Alexander Maskharashvili, an Assistant Professor of Computational Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA), and Temur Kutsia, an Associate Professor at the Research Institute for Symbolic Computation at Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria).

Academician David Gurgenidze opened the event. The Rector congratulated the participants, as well as the Georgian and Abkhazian communities, on the Day of the Abkhazian language, Georgia’s second state language. He noted that the Abkhazian language faces the threat of extinction; therefore, protecting and preserving it, beyond a constitutional obligation, is a key element in reconciliation with the Abkhazian community.

“We are nurturing future engineers, scientists, researchers, and leaders; yet, at the same time, we are fostering individuals who must understand that a nation’s development is not measured solely by the creation of new technologies. It is also measured by our capacity to uphold human dignity, preserve cultural diversity, and harness knowledge in the service of social consensus. With its academic potential, the Georgian Technical University is well-positioned to bridge science and culture, advance interdisciplinary research, and support initiatives dedicated to the study of Georgia’s linguistic and cultural heritage. In this context, the youth play a pivotal role. They must realize that knowledge of history doesn’t confine them to the past; on the contrary, it is a prerequisite for consciously shaping the future. When we speak of Abkhazia, focusing exclusively on cultural heritage is insufficient. This issue carries a profound human dimension – encompassing the memories of families, severed relationships, people forced apart, and the enduring belief in a shared future.

Therefore, we must maintain a language – an approach that does not deepen alienation but instead respects human dignity; we must hold a vision for a future in which peace, mutual recognition, and cooperation become a real possibility. One of the Georgian government’s key responsibilities is to protect and preserve the Abkhaz language, an essential part of our country’s cultural heritage, and to pass it on to future generations. We believe that a consistent state policy, focused on peace, the restoration of trust, and shared interests, will help strengthen historical ties and bring closer the day when Abkhazia peacefully reclaims its rightful place within a unified Georgian state.”

 – Academician David Gurgenidze

The following researchers delivered presentations before the audience: Professor Konstantine Pkhakadze, Director of the Research Institute for the Cultural Protection and Technological Development of Georgia’s State Languages ​​at the Georgian Technical University; Professor Vakhtang Kvaratskhelia, Director of the Niko Muskhelishvili Institute of Computational Mathematics at the GTU; Professor Avtandil Gagnidze, Vice-President for Research and Development at East-West University; Associate Professor Ivane (Mamuka) Giorgadze, Dean of the Faculty of Law and International Relations at the GTU; Professor Mikheil Rukhaia, Head of the Laboratory of Applied Logic and Programming at Tbilisi State University; and Professor Besik Dundua, a researcher at Kutaisi International University and Head of the Programming Department at the Institute of Applied Mathematics (TSU). Rita Marghania (Master) – Member of the Group for the Mathematical Study of Georgian and Abkhazian Languages ​​and Thought at the Research Institute for the Cultural Protection and Technological Development of the State Languages ​​of Georgia (GTU); Associate Professor Rati Skhirtladze– Head of the Artificial Intelligence Program at Caucasus University.

After the presentations, the researchers answered questions from students at the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems at Georgian Technical University. They summarized the first day’s outcomes at the international student school. During the interactive discussion, they paid particular attention to the role of artificial intelligence in the digital preservation of low-resource languages. The students showed strong interest in the computational models that enable processing and preserving Abkhazian language data.

For your information, the first annual international student school – “Logic, Language, Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Engineering,” dedicated to the Day of the Abkhazian Language within the framework of the Days of Protection and Development of Digital Sovereignty of Georgia, will end on October 30 of this year.