CONFERENCE: “European Union and South Caucasus – A Security Partnership?”

On 27 November 2008, this year’s largest conference was organized in the Great Hall of the Congress Hotel in Yerevan, with the topic: “European Union and South Caucasus – A Security Partnership?”.

The conference was organized by the Analytical Centre for Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC, Armenia) and German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). The conference was supported by the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Robert-Bosch Stiftung.

Welconme speeches and reports were given by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Arman Kirakossian, German Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin, head of European Commission delegation in Armenia Raul de Luzenberger, representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Liana Marukyan and director of ACGRC Dr. Stepan Grigoryan.

Reports on issues of interest for Armenian society were delivered by Dr. Arif Yunusov (Institute for Peace and Democracy, Azerbaijan), Dr. Seyed Rasol Mousavi (Institute of Political and International Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Islamic Republic of Iran), Armen Rustamyan (member of the standing committee on foreign affairs of the national Assembly of Armenia), Aleksander Rusetsky (director of the South Caucasus Institute for Regional Security, Georgia), Diba Nigar Goksel (senior analyst, European Stability Initiative, Editor, Turkish Policy Quarterly), Özgül Erdemli Mutlu (ARI Movement, Turkey), Vyacheslav Igrunov (director of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, Russia), Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan (Country Director, Eurasia Partnership Foundation, Armenia) and Ivlian Khaindrava (director of the South Caucasus studies programme, Georgia).

The number of participants reached 300, instead of initially planned 150. Among the participants were ambassadors of Bulgaria, Germany, Iran, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania; heads of UN, EU, OSCE and Council of Europe missions in Armenia; head of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung office; representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia; diplomats representing British, German and Greek Embassies; Armenian political scientists, historians, sociologists, university professors; heads of political parties and NGOs; students; and journalists of the leading Armenian media.

Reports about the conference were broadcasted by a number of TV companies: Public Television of Armenia, Kentron, Yerevan TV, Shant, TV5, YerkirMedia, etc. Daily newspaper Aravot published a detailed report about the conference on November 28 and November 29. Reports were also published in other newspapers and by information agencies Noyan Tapan, Arminfo, PanArmenian, Armtown, etc.

more: www.acgrc.am