On October 24, 2022, the "Peace Education Center" at Sokhumi State University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University (USA) organized an online conference "Economic, Political and Security Consequences of the Ukrainian War for the South Caucasus". 

Rector of Sokhumi State University, professor Zurab Khonelidze, presented reports to the audience; Dean of Grigol Robakidze University School of Business and Management, Professor Vakhtang Charaya; Former Member of Parliament, Mr. Petre Mamradze; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia, Mr. Malkhaz Kakabadze; Deputy Director of the Scientific Department of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (USA), Mrs. Maya Otarashvili; Professor Jeffrey Taliaferro, Department of Political Science, Taft University. 

The speakers discussed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and local conflicts. In this context, Rector Zurab Khonelidze's innovative ideas, which imply the synergy of diplomacy and academic space, were noted to have a positive value for the settlement of regional conflicts and the construction of a regional security system.

Rector of Sokhumi State University welcomed the participants of the conference. In the report of Mr. Zurab, attention was focused on various topical issues:

"The covid-virus pandemic, the subsequent war, the tragic processes in Ukraine, ideological politics, the ongoing transformation of geopolitics, regional integration, have changed the way of life of the civilized world and among them. The world is becoming a multi-vector and consumer market.

As you know, any event, including trials, has two sides like a medal. A crisis in the life of a nation, a country creates an opportunity for purification, catharsis, which in itself is a necessary condition for the eternal renewal of society. He who overcomes the crisis wins over himself without defeating himself.

The complex and contradictory problems in the world are still mainly worldview in nature. His analysis dictates that it is necessary to change the philosophical character, deep strategic thinking, supported by sound intellectual arguments, which will restore people's faith in fundamental values, first of all I mean: freedom, justice, love. It is a kind of intellectual belief that, in turn, creates the highest degree of intellectual trust between people and societies that hold these values. I will discuss today's meeting only in this context.

It is true that the truth is not accessible to everyone, it is only shared by a few, but the chosen ones, and you are the people who are able not only to understand the truth, but also to protect it.

You will agree, in the life of every nation or country there comes a time when, instead of reform (change of form), But based on finding the right strategic task and resources for its implementation, fed by new national, public ideas and proposing a global project (not reform, change of form) means the return of national faith. I think that such a historical time has come for Georgia and it would be a mistake to miss this chance dictated by the force of destiny.

The modern world does not allow a country to effectively control all internal and external threats independently, self-isolating, even with an orientation towards any world or civilization. Based on the above, the need to acquire an international function has become the need of the hour. The only real way for Georgia to achieve it is to create not only the attractiveness, but also the need, necessity of the Georgian state through peaceful coexistence with other nations, additional interest of the main regulator in global politics and the balance of the world's regulating forces, and in this way, to be able to regionally integrate into the system of international relations.

The strength of the Georgian state, whose strength lies in its diversity, and its efficiency lies in the expansion of the operational space - area, is the most important: geopolitical, geoeconomic, military-political, intellectual, etc. The resource lies precisely on the plane of integrative processes.

Georgia is not and cannot be a closed space, system. It is a synthesis of the west and east of the Black Sea basin, specifically the Caucasus. Religiously, historically and geographically, it is in the epicenter of the multifaceted intersection of interests, which is called not only the Georgian, but also the South Caucasian and Caucasian space.  Ganges made it the gateway to Eurasia. of the Eurasian continent, which is the geopolitical axis of the world. It was the function of the bridge connecting Eurasia, its key, that fundamentally determined the historical fate of Georgia.

It is true that the Caucasus is a single region, which consists of two geopolitical parts - a space, but by a single regional space I mean only the "South Caucasus" (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia), that single regional space of sovereign states, the priority importance of which has been given to Georgia as the organizing center since time immemorial.

Open or hidden interests in the region exclude the existence of any one-sided strategy for the common regional space, which is the responsibility of their participants: the geopolitical centers of the world's dominant and regional leader states, transnational corporations, etc. It leads to the necessity of joint decision-making.

The bottom line of the formation of a unified security system of the South Caucasus and its transformation into a new peaceful space (under one umbrella) is in the happy reconciliation of global, regional and national interests without disobeying and enslaving each other in order to generate additional benefits.

The importance of our concept - university diplomacy as a Georgian paradigm of peace - goes beyond the borders of the country: Presentations were held with international organizations and diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia, as well as in the academic circles of Israel, several European countries and Turkey (universities, historical societies, scientific-analytical centers), which aroused great interest. Moreover, there is an active process of involving them in the implementation of this Georgian and at the same time global project. The work was translated into Bulgarian and published in the city of Sofia. It will be published in Italian, Turkish, Polish and Hebrew languages in the near future. The sectoral council of higher education of the conflict scientist has introduced a new term "university diplomacy" in the sectoral characteristics. In addition, he created an opportunity for Sokhumi State University to restore a healthy relationship with its historical roots in Sokhumi - the University of Abkhazia; A representative office of the university was opened in the United States of America (State of Florida, Orlando); to establish a "Peace Education Research Center" in the university space, which, with the involvement of Georgian, Abkhazian and Ossetian scientists and researchers, young people and international partners, is being formed into a systematically organized, institutionally strong international scientific and research organization; A Georgian, English, and Russian master's program was created, which successfully passed the accreditation process and is being implemented in several higher education institutions in Georgia and the world. to hold and participate in a number of international scientific conferences", - said Mr. Zurab.

At the end of the report, the rector answered the questions and talked about important peace initiatives, which will be implemented very soon by the initiative and organization of Sokhumi State University.