On April 6th, 2022, ICGS’s third closed-door seminar was held in Tbilisi for Georgian experts, civil society activists and political actors. The topic of the seminar was on the case of Cyprus, reflecting on lessons learned from the peace process, confidence-building measures (CBMs) and bi-communal dialogue.

After a short overview of the history and context, invited experts with firsthand experience in politics, negotiations and civil society/business activism shared their insights and lessons learned from the Cyprus peace process, looking in particular at its successes and challenges. Other topics discussed included the interaction between political and civil society actors and concrete initiatives undertaken at the civil society level. Throughout the seminar, participants were briefed about Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs), bi-communal dialogue and the involvement of third parties in the settlement of the Cyprus conflict. In a presentation by a former UN staff member, participants were also exposed to practical examples of UN peacebuilding programs and CBMs supported by UNDP in Cyprus. The seminar was concluded by a session dedicated to a joint group reflection on the experience of Cyprus, best practices and lessons learned from its process.

The seminar was jointly organized by the International Centre for Geopolitical Studies (ICGS), Georgia, and CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, Finland, as part of the organizations’ join initiative launched in the Autumn 2021 entitled “Expert Exchange on Conflict Resolution Efforts - Lessons Learnt from International Practices”. This initiative consists in a series of closed-door seminars and is meant as an opportunity for selected experts, civil society representatives and political actors to benefit from first-hand experience from international experts and peers, as well from a safe space for discussions on various topics related to peace process and negotiations.

To ensure maximal safety for participants and speakers, the workshop was held in a blended format and in line with the COVID-19 regulations put in place by the Government of Georgia.