On one hand the Russian language seems to continue to function as a lingua franca in
Georgia in the Caucasus even 20 years after the split-up of the Soviet Union. On the other
hand, new needs and governmental educational reforms reflect the recent pro-Western and
pro-European policy of the Georgian government. Georgia has been a multiethnic country for
centuries. The ethnic diversity poses challenges to the effective communication of the
members of the ethnic groups in the Georgian society. The current Georgian policy focuses on
the reintegration of the country. The state language policy thus seems to be addressing the
minority integration issues. This paper aims to present the results of the original
sociolinguistic research using the method of the semi-structured interview. Firstly, it attempts
to clarify the goals of the Georgian language policy and the methods of their implementation.
Secondly, it will present the results of the investigation into the linguistic situation of Kists in
Pankisi Valley, whose mother tongue is the Chechen language, who receive their education in
Georgian and can often speak Russian fluently as this is another language taught at local
schools, along with English.