George Melashvili, a Georgian public figure and scholar specializing in political science and East Asian studies, is the founder and President of the Europe-Georgia Institute, a hybrid non-governmental organization based in Georgia. Since its inception in September 2016, the Europe-Georgia Institute has evolved into one of Georgia’s leading civil society organizations and has become a member of the European Liberal Forum. Melashvili is also the founder the annual Black Sea Security conference, which focuses on international security policy related to the Black Sea region. He serves as an invited lecturer on international relations theory at the Free University of Tbilisi and East Asian studies at the University of Georgia and is the author of “Korea: Success story – lessons for Georgia”, the first book about Korea in Georgian. Melashvili is also a fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s Policy Designers Network and in April 2021, he was named one of 10 SI Changemakers by the Swedish Institute among over 15,000 alumni. He is also a member of the International Studies Association (ISA), an elected Ambassador of the European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN), and an elected member of the board of International Republican Institute’s Generation Democracy (GenDem) Network.
George Melashvili’s grandfather, Alexander Berulava, was a Georgian journalist, writer, and human rights activist, founder of the Georgian Television of Abkhazia, who was murdered by Russian forces during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia in 1993 together with other members of the Government of Abkhazia. The President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, awarded Alexander Berulava with the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order First grade order for his courage and heroism in the fight for the protection of the homeland and its territorial integrity.
Proud graduate of the School of International Relations of the Free University, founded by Georgian statesman, visionary and philanthropist Kakha Bendukidze, Melashvili has been teaching Theories of International Relations in his Alma Mater since 2021. During his studies, George was one of the leaders of the Future Diplomats’ Club – one of the most successful youth organizations in Georgia dedicated to contemporary international relations, diplomacy, civil politics and the rights of youth. Melashvili also was a lecturer at the School of Diplomacy, a project aiming to bridge university students with high-school students.
During his bachelor studies, he received a scholarship from the Government of Korea to study Korea’s economic development and democratic transition. Following several travels to Korea, the Korea Foundation published the first ever book about Korea in the Georgian language in 2022 – “Korea: Success Story / Lessons for Georgia“, his attempt to research and adapt the Korean experience, as well as to bridge Korean and Georgian history. He is also an alumnus of the Haifa University program supported by the government of Israel and successfully graduated from SI Summer Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) in Malmö, Sweden. On April 26, 2021, the Swedish Institute selected Melashvili as one of 10 SI Changemakers among more than 15 000 Swedish Institute alumni.
George Melashvili was selected as a member of the Presidential Discussion Club hosted by the President of Georgia. He was part of the team working on contemporary challenges of Georgia’s neighbourhood and the Black Sea Region, followed by a successful internship at the International Department of the Presidential Administration of Georgia.
During the 2016 election campaign, George Melashvili managed the unprecedented campaign “Your Voice, Our Future”, uniting citizens of Georgia to realize the importance of their vote. The campaign mobilized 500 volunteers from Georgia’s all regions and was held in Georgia’s all 11 regions and the capital city and managed to increase the youth turnout by more than 20%. The “Your Voice, Our Future” was followed by an #Initiative project aiming to increase youth participation in decision-making and civic life. More than 500 small-scale grants were issued to support activities in more than 20 municipalities of Georgia, and five summer and winter schools were organized to empower active youth groups all over Georgia.
George served as the youth delegate at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and is actively involved in different initiatives promoting civic engagement, regional cooperation, and international development.
As a speaker, George has addressed academic and non-academic audiences in Georgia, Germany, Sweden, the United States, and other countries. He also works as a broadcaster to discuss international affairs. His television appearances include both Georgian and international media outlets.
He is the holder of the first prize award for his essay about Janri Kashia’s book “Totalitarianism” and the Mikheil Javakhishvili Medal for a documentary film about Soviet repressions. He is the winner of the MLOW contest held by the United Nations Academic Impact and was invited to the United Nations to make a speech about the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Melashvili is a member of the International Studies Association (ISA), European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN), and International Republican Institute’s Generation Democracy (GenDem) Network.
