The II International Scientific Conference, “Two Iberias - Two Gates of Europe,” was held in Madrid from 10 to 12 September, bringing together scholars and academics from Georgia, Spain, France to explore the shared historical and cultural heritage of the two Iberias.

The three-day conference was organized in collaboration with Complutense University of Madrid, San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Caucasus University. The Embassy of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain was actively involved in the conference, contributing to the successful organization of the event and supporting the further development of academic cooperation between Georgia and Spain.

The scientific programme was hosted at the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of Philosophy of Complutense University of Madrid, San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University, and the San Isidro Museum. The programme featured 27 academic presentations and five keynote speeches, with contributions from scholars representing Complutense University of Madrid, the universities of Barcelona, Seville, Málaga, and Valencia, Sorbonne University, and San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University.

Georgia was represented by researchers and academic staff from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Caucasus University, and Free University of Tbilisi.

Caucasus University was represented by its President, Professor Kakha Shengelia, who delivered a keynote address at the conference. He was joined by Caucasus University Honorary Doctor and renowned French Kartvelologist Bernard Outtier, as well as Professors Guranda Chelidze, Tatia Mtvarelidze, and Eka Chikvaidze of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The University’s representatives made substantial contributions to the conference’s academic programme and discussions.

The “Two Iberias - Two Gates of Europe” conference series was launched in 2024. The inaugural international conference took place in Tbilisi on 12-14 June 2024 through a collaboration between Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Caucasus University. It brought together scholars from Georgia, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, establishing a platform for sustained academic dialogue and research cooperation.

The Madrid conference marks the continuation of this academic initiative and represents an important step toward deepening scientific and academic relations between Georgia and Spain. It further contributes to the development of long-term institutional partnerships and sustained scholarly cooperation between the two countries.

The conference focused on a broad range of topics relating to the historical, cultural, philological, and philosophical heritage of Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Attention was given to the historical and cultural connections between the two Iberias - Georgia and Spain - and to their place and significance within the wider European intellectual and academic tradition.

Caucasus University’s active engagement in both the academic and organizational dimensions of the conference underscores its growing international academic profile and reflects the University’s continued commitment to advancing international research collaboration in the humanities.