On  April 5-8, 2017,  Prof. Zurab Vadachkoria Rector of Tbilisi State Medical University and Prof. Rima Beriashvili Vice-Rector of TSMU paid official visit  to Bergen (Norway) to  participate in the Annual Conference of the European University Association (EUA). The theme of the conference was «Autonomy and freedom: The future sustainability of universities». The program was mainly devoted to the strategic development of the universities and their organizational, financial and academic autonomy which are crucial for the well-functioning of universities and higher education systems.  Prof. Zurab Vadachkoria, Rector of Tbilisi State Medical University, participated in the General Assembly, where three new members of the EUA Council were elected for three years. The Conference was hosted by the University of Bergen. The participants were welcomed by Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, Norwegian Minister of Education and Research and  keynote speech was delivered by  Professor Rolf Tarrach, EUA President.