FreedomTeam Interview: Peter-Andreas Bochmann In Focus

-Dear Mr. Bochmann, you have arrived in Georgia quite recently . What are your first impressions?

Indeed, I arrived in Tiflis on 1st April. This is my second time in Georgia. So some things are already familiar to me. What I really appreciate is the friendliness of the Georgians I meet and the mesmerizing countryside and alpine world. Not to forget the excellent Georgian wines and chacha, a Georgian grappa. The capital city Tiflis is in part a modern and vibrant city. It boasts a few skyscrapers and has a lot of traffic jams. You can find a lot of special and stylish restaurants and pubs. There are even some parts of the city that remind me of Berlin, Frankfurt or Vienna. However, other parts are still in bad shape and even in ruins. There’s still a lot of reconstruction left to do.

-You have been a Project Director twice already. This is your third post abroad. How did your colleagues receive you here in Tiflis?

Well, it was a very warm welcome. During the very first hour after entering the office we took some group photographs, the centerpiece being a big letter F – which stands for freedom. I’m pretty sure that we will be a good and dedicated team, a team dedicated to the promotion of freedom. There have been recent changes to the team. As a first step Mrs. Niginakhon Diewald, our finance administrator in Tunis for four years, joined us in April. We have just hired a specialist for communication. The staff that kept the project running during 2014, a complicated year, in which a few things had to be restructured, did a great job under the supervision of my colleague and interim predecessor, Dr. Jürgen Wickert. He was assisted by Mrs. Maia Kobaidze, our Assistant and Project coordinator, whose task was to liaise with our partners and counterparts, by Ms. Tatia Mamisashvili, who managed all financial matters, by Mr. Zviad Maisuradze, the driver, who ensured safe transport, and Ms. Irma Khutsisvili, our office help, who also entertained our guests with coffee, tea and snacks.

-Mr. Bochmann, it sounds as if have already settled down and established a good working atmosphere...

Yes, indeed. I’m sure that we will be a strong team committed to establishing greater freedom in Georgia and in South Caucasus. Teamwork with a clear division of labour and responsibilities are a central aspect of the way I prefer to work.

-What are your plans regarding the projects in the region, Mr. Bochmann? What are the objectives of the Foundation’s work in the South Caucasus?

Our policy as a Foundation is to collaborate with counterparts, who are well-established and influential, share a vision and have a long-standing relationship with us characterized by mutual trust. We started to work with the New Economic School of Georgia (NESG) in 2002. It’s a strong and reliable counterpart and a member of the 4 liberty network in Europe and the Economic Freedom of the World network ,of which our Foundation is a also a member. This think tank is known and renowned for its liberal – and libertarian – approaches and initiatives on major issues affecting the country. We also support the two existing liberal Parties in Georgia, the Republican Party of Georgia and the Free Democrats. Both are members of international associations of liberal parties, ALDE and the Liberal International respectively. Given that general elections will be held in 2016, our task is to help them to create a stronger and more distinctive liberal profile for themselves and thereby to increase their appeal to voters.

-Mr. Bochmann, do you also collaborate with new and younger organizations?

Our newest and youngest partners are the Economic Policy Experts Centre (ECEP) and the Economic Education and Strategic Centre (EESRC). Cooperation commenced last year. Together we focus on conducting series of events targeted at students and young journalists. The focus is on the importance of private property, free and investigative media, and a future in Europe. With respect to the latter and as partners, we play in important auxiliary role in the Eastern Partnership agenda of EU. 

-Mr. Bochmann, what do you think are the biggest obstacles in the way of rapidly establishing a fully-fledged democracy?

When I discuss political issues with young people here I always get the feeling that they and their counterparts and friends in other countries – even developed European countries – think alike. They strive for political freedom, free markets, free travel across borders, exchange of ideas, modern education and a democratic society with all the institutions that help to preserve and foster democracy. This is their vision of what development should bring. They are not interested in paternalistic or even patriarchal structures. Instead, they want an open society, characterized by tolerance. And I think that they also abide by the standards they set themselves – particularly when it comes to respect and tolerance towards each other. Nevertheless, in a society that was subjected to more than 70 years of communist rule, it is not so easy to overcome narrow-mindedness and tunnel vision. Old mindsets still exist. The idea that everybody can, should and has to participate in the development of a country and society is still something novel and somewhat underdeveloped. Many people still do not realize that a state can only spend money that is generated by its citizens. And many still don’t fully grasp it is the citizens that ultimately have to decide how public funds – tax-payers’ money – are spent. This is best done through the institution of representative democracy.

-Mr. Bochmann, what do you think of Georgia’s economic situation?

Many young entrepreneurs I have met – entrepreneurs who run shops, restaurants and small companies – are well-educated and well-trained people. They want to contribute to the economic development of their country and, at the same time, they want to make some money. They are realistic and don’t strive to become millionaires within one or two years. Unfortunately, there are also people, who think differently and will do anything – even use illegal methods – in order to become rich as quickly as possible. I think that we have an unhealthy state of affairs in the country. On the one hand, there are a couple of billionaires running banks or huge companies (some of them belong to the old guard) and, on the other hand, there are only relatively few small and medium-sized enterprises. There is also no culture of family-owned companies, normally the backbone of central Europe’s economies.

-Mr. Bochmann, what wishes do you have with regard to Georgia’s future?

The Georgians expect that their country will soon become a part of the European Union. And they expect that NATO will protect them from threats emanating from Russia. In order for such expectations to become reality, a lot in terms of reform remains to be done within the next few years. They should focus their attention on further democratizing their country and on creating the preconditions for sustained economic success. EU membership doesn’t come for free. There are standards to abide by and targets to meet. I guess it might take another decade at least to attain membership. My wish is that Georgians develop an acute awareness of what is still required and, to go with such awareness and determination to see reforms implemented on the ground. Anyway, it’s my belief that Georgia belongs to Europe and that, in the long run, the country will become a fully-fledged part of the European Union.

Get to know more about the Freedom Team in FNF South Caucasus here: