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)

Call for applications

Fourth Regional NGO Congress, Vilnius, Lithuania

10 – 12 June 2010

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

Application form

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

19.00 Dinner (Hotel Artis)

25 February

• 9:30-10:00   Registration
• 10:00-11:30 Opening Remarks
• Greta Tučkutė, 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)
• Abdullo, Rashid / Рашид Абдулло
  Independent analyst (Tajikistan)
• Baltag, Alexandru / Александру Балтаг
  Fellow, European Movement of Moldova (Moldova)
• 19.00- Welcome dinner (Restaurant “Csarda”, Šv.Mykolo str. 4-1, Vilnius) Welcome speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Mr. Vygaudas Ušackas.

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)
• 18:30-19:00 Closing Remarks & Discussion
• 19:00- Dinner (Restaurant Stikliai “Alude”)

27 February – Participants depart

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.

According to the representative of the Russian opposition Leonid Gozman, Russia may not like the Baltic States and be an uncomfortable neighbour for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, however is inoffensive for them, because it has finally accepted the fact of their independence.

It is easier to start business in Estonia than in Latvia and Lithuania, therefore more new firms are established in our country than in other Baltic States – refer to a new study SEB analysts and entrepreneurs.

President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso received in Brussels representatives of the Lithuanian Government and promised to help the country to pass on to Euro in 2015.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, signed in Brussels a joint plan on combating the illicit trafficking in nuclear and radioactive materials, reported in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.

This was stated by the Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius, speaking about the powers of negotiators with the Russian company "Gazprom".

Consul of the Consulate General of the Republic of Estonia in St. Petersburg Franek Persidski was declared persona non grata in the Russian Federation. Persidski became an undesirable person in Russia on the basis of parity - a little earlier Russians were not allowed into Estonia.

Polish President directed to finance the development of the Polish missile defence system.