On 2-4 September 2010, PI Centre for Geopolitical Studies (Lithuania), together with the Central Asian Foundation for Developing Democracy (Kazakhstan), organizes the Round Table discussion „Building Bridges Between the Regions: Central Asia and Eastern Europe“. The workshop is funded by the Open Society Institute and the East-East: Partnership Without Borders Program.
Experts from Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia will take part in the discussion. Its main objective is to introduce the issues of energy security, ethnic conflicts, regional security, religious and international influence in Central Asian countries to civil societies of Central Asian and Eastern European countries and state institutions.
The workshop agenda will include:
Interests of USA, Russian Federation, China and EU in Central Asia and policy implementation instruments;
Baltic region and Central Asia areas of cooperation in the context of OSCE;
Islam and ethnicity as identity elements in Central Asia;
Building bridges between the regions: possibilities for cooperation and mutual projects;
Tajikistan: before and after civil war;
Turkmenistan: before and after Turkmenbashi’s death;
Uzbekistan: Regime of Islam Karimov – what will be after?
Kyrgyzstan: before and after the 2005 “March Events“ (Tulip Revolution) and 2010 “April events”;
Backgrounds of stability in Kazakhstan.
Draft agenda in English (working languages: English and Russian)
The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe is calling for applications for its Fourth Regional NGO Congress. The main theme is “The Role of NGOs in a Pluralist Democracy”. Discussions will focus on the following sub-themes:
1. participation of NGOs in the decision-making process, 2. the state of civil society 3. human rights activists 4. the role of NGOs in post-conflict situations.
Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications is 24 April 2010
The Centre for Geopolitical Studies and the Carnegie Moscow Center are organizing an international conference titled „Projects and Prospects for Cooperation in Eurasia“, to be held in Vilnius February 24-26, 2009.
The two-day conference is designed to explore the relationship between domestic political factors and the prospects for international cooperation among all of the players in the post-Soviet space. The discussion will be divided into five thematic blocks:
Collective Security after the War in Georgia;
Big-Power politics and Sub-Regional Agendas: Russia, the United States, the European Union and China;
The Economics of Geography: Integration by Inevitability;
The Geography of Economics: Integration by Choice;
Shared Differences: Culture, Language and History.
In addition, viewpoints from the E.U., Poland, the U.S. and China will be offered for participants’ consideration.
Leading foreign policy experts from throughout the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe have been invited to take part in the conference.
Projects and Prospects for Cooperation in Eurasia
24-26 February 2009
Draft Agenda
24 February – Participants Arrive
19.00Dinner (Hotel Artis)
25 February
9:30-10:00 Registration
10:00-11:30 Opening Remarks
Greta Tučkutë, director, Centre for Geopolitical Studies
Introduction
Divergence in an Era of Integration? Government and Popular Orientations across the Former Soviet Union
Sam Greene, deputy director, Carnegie Moscow Center
11:30-12:00 Coffee Break
12:00-14:00 Discussion Session 1: Collective Security after the War in Georgia
Haran, Olexy / Олексий Гарань
Research director, School of Political Analysis (Ukraine)
Baghirova, Irada / Ирада Багирова
Head, Caucasus history dept., Institute of History, Academy of Sciences (Azerbaijan)
Poletaev, Eduard / Эдуард Полетаев
Editor, «Мир Евразии»(Kazakhstan)
14:00-15:00 Lunch
15:00-16:00 Open Discussion: Outside Looking In, Part I
Views from the EU and Poland
Nerijus Maliukevičius, Director, European Integration Studies Centre (Lithuania)
16:00-16:30 Coffee Break
16:30-18:30 Discussion Session 2: Big-Power Politics and Sub-Regional Agendas: Russia, the United States, the European Union and China
Musabayev, Rasim / Расим Мусабаев
Independent political analyst (Azerbaijan)
Baltag, Alexandru / Александру Балтаг
Fellow, European Movement of Moldova (Moldova)
19.00- Welcome dinner (Restaurant “Csarda”, Đv.Mykolo str. 4-1, Vilnius) Welcome speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Mr. Vygaudas Uđackas.
26 February
10:00-11:30 Discussion Session 3: The Economics of Geography: Integration by Inevitability
Bekarian, Karen / Карен Бекарян
(Armenia)
Morozov, Pavel / Павел Морозов
Director, Third Way-Belarus (Belarus)
Kvashilava, Bakur / Бакур Квашилава
Analyst, Georgian Institute for Public Affairs (Georgia)
11:30-12:00 Coffee Break
12:00-14:00 Discussion Session 4: The Geography of Economics: Integration by Choice
Chirila, Victor / Виктор Кирилла
Fellow, Association for Foreign Policy (Moldova)
Frumkin, Boris / Борис Фрумкин
Professor, MoscowStateUniversity of International Relations (Russia)
Nogoibaeva, Elmira / Эльмира Ногойбаева
Director, Center Polis Asia (Kyrgyzstan)
14:00-15:00 Lunch
15:00-16:30 Open Discussion: Outside Looking In, Part II
Views from the US and China
Egidijus Motieka, Chairman of the Council, Center for Strategic Studies (Lithuania) (to be determined)
16:30-17:00 Coffee break
17:00-18:00 Discussion Session 5: Shared Differences: Culture, Language and History
Navasardian, Boris / Борис Навасардян
President, Yerevan Press Club (Armenia)
Kobrinskaya, Irina / Ирина Кобринская
Senior Fellow, Institute of the World Economy and International Relations (Russia)
Tsutskiridze, Levan / Леван Цуцкиридзе
Rector, Georgian Institute for Public Affairs (Georgia)
18:00-18:30 Regional Blocs in 2020
Prof. Vytautas Landsbergis, Member of the European Parliament (to be determined)
The East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program of the Open Society Institute is pleased to announce an institutional partnership beginning in 2008 with the Center for Geopolitical Studies.
Additional information will be posted to this site.
The Center for Geopolitical Studies will not receive and review applications to the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program. Please address all inquires/applications to Mary Frances Lindstrom, Program Director, mflindstrom@osf-eu.org.
Sinikka Hurskainen, Rapporteur on the political situation in Belarus of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has arrived in Minsk for “collecting information, for meeting with people and for discussing the situation in the country”.
Belarus is dealing with the issue concerning the acquisition of the antiaircraft-missile complex C-400 from Russia, reported to the BELTA correspondent Major-General Igor Azarionok, the Commander of the military air forces and ABM of Belarus.
Journalists of the Kaliningrad newspaper “Страж Балтики“ (‘Guard of the Baltics’ – the official publication of the Baltic Fleet) have disclosed certain specific details about the naval exercise of maritime forces, which were carried out in the Baltic Sea in June 2010.
The President Viktor Janukovich signed the earlier approved by the Parliament Law on “The Principles of Foreign and Internal Policy”, which enforces the status of the Ukraine outside the block and revokes the joining of the country into the NATO, reported on 15 July NEWSru.ua referring to the press office of the Government.
