Local people take photos with a mascot "panda" during the China Day, which is held in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, on Oct 11, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Q: Cultural events such as China Day and Georgian Culture Day have been held to enhance exchanges between the countries. To what extent have events such as these increased the understanding of each other's culture?

A: There was quite a number of outstanding cultural events both in Georgia and in China, the recent one to mention was the participation of three Georgian theaters in Beijing Theatric Olympiad here in China, that was very successful, was very well received by the Chinese public and vice versa, and the very recent visit of a disabled people's troupe to Georgia, over 100 disabled artists performed in Georgia, this absolutely unique troupe was appreciated by UNESCO to the extent that they were named the ambassadors of peace, and was also very well received by the Georgian public, and also what you mentioned, Cultural Days of China, China Cultural Week, Georgian cultural days in China, I believe that kind of cultural exchange will absolutely enhance the understanding of the culture and as a result, deepening understanding on the people-to-people level ,so it will promote more cultural exchange and cultural cooperation.

Q: A growing number of schools in Georgia have begun Mandarin lessons. How is Chinese culture received in Georgia?

A: In this regard I would like to start with words of gratitude to the government of the People's Republic of China because every year in China, the government provides scholarships for Georgian students up to this year, there were ten students who were provided with the scholarship here in China, starting in 2015, the number doubled to 20, considering the population in Georgia, the size of the country, this is very important.

What is more important is that it shows increasing interest toward Chinese language and so Chinese culture. Many schools now provide Chinese language courses in Georgia. In 2010, the Confucius Institute was established in Georgia, so this definitely shows the increasing interest of Georgian people, Georgian young people to learn the Chinese language and to discover Chinese culture, which is very promising and gives me a lot of enthusiasm about this relationship, interest running both ways will only increase year by year.