An event was held at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Academician Levan Aleksidze, a distinguished scholar, public figure, diplomat, and founder of the Georgian School of International Law.

“With his entire biography, Levan Aleksidze is very important for our university and our entire country. He was one of the first individuals to introduce the newly independent Georgia to the international community and represented our homeland abroad for a long time. It is a matter of pride for Georgia and our university to have had such a great person and scholar of international law,” noted TSU Rector, Academician Jaba Samushia.

Levan Aleksidze was a Doctor of Law, Professor, and Honored Scientist of Georgia. He was also the recipient of the Georgian State Prize in the Field of Science, the Order of Honor, the Order of Excellence, the Order of St. George, the Ivane Javakhishvili Forum Prize, and the title of Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi. He was also an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He dedicated his life to Tbilisi State University while working in various responsible positions in the country and abroad. He served as Vice Rector twice.

“Levan Aleksidze founded the School of Public International Law in the country. This was during our student years, when the Soviet central government occupied this field and we did not even have literature in the Georgian language. At his initiative, the Faculty of International Law and the Faculty of International Relations were formed while the country was still taking its first independent steps,” said Zviad Gabisonia, Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth.

From the very first days of Georgia’s independence, Professor Levan Aleksidze laid the foundation for the development of the Georgian School of International Law. In September 1990, the Faculty of International Law and International Relations was established at TSU, which led to the development of this field in Georgia.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khatuna Totladze spoke about Levan Aleksidze’s activities in the scientific and international arenas and his achievements.

Professor Irine Kurdadze, head of the TSU International Law Institute, discussed Levan Aleksidze’s contributions to the development of international law at TSU’s Faculty of Law and the Georgian state: “Levan Aleksidze was a prominent public figure, the author or co-author of documents sent to international organizations on behalf of modern Georgia. He advanced the position that the state held. At the same time, he was a scientist and teacher who left behind a substantial body of work that is still used in Georgia and at the international legal level.”

At the event, the Levan Aleksidze Scholarship was awarded to Tekla Zakaradze, an excellent student in the International Law Program at the TSU Faculty of Law. The scholarship was established by the Faculty of Law and is sponsored by Irakli Kandashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Bar Association.

The ceremony included the presentation of a publication by the International Law Institute featuring interviews Levan Aleksidze gave to the media in his final years.

TSU professors and students, as well as representatives from the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Defense Institutional Building School, and the TSU academic staff and guests attended the event. Distinguished students from the International Law Program were also present, including the student who received the Levan Aleksidze Scholarship this year.