9:00 – 9:10 Official Opening
Rastislav Káčer, President of the Slovak Atlantic Commission
9:10 – 10:00 Keynote Speech: Transatlantic Relations at Crossroad; new challenges ahead
Diana Štrofová, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovak Republic
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 12:00 1st Panel: NATO at 60: Towards a New Strategy?
In 2009, NATO celebrates 60th Anniversary of the Washington Treaty. At the same time it will be 10 years since the last Strategic Concept of NATO was adopted. The upcoming NATO Summit in Strasbourg – Kehl will open fundamental questions about the future of NATO and its role in the security environment of the 21st Century. Is it the time for retirement or rethinking the Alliance? Some expert argue, that the current Strategic Concept of NATO does not reflect the changes in the security environment which have occurred after 9/11 2001. Is it the right time to adopt a new Strategic Concept? Are the NATO allies ready at all to agree on a clear definition of the new security threats and are they ready to adopt a common strategy to fight them? The intention of this panel is to bring important stimuli to the discussion about the future strategies of the Alliance.
Chairman: Tomáš Valášek, Center for European Reform, London
Jean François Bureau, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy
Adam Rotfeld, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
Rob de Wijk, Director of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies
Robin Shepherd, Chatham House, Senior Research Fellow for Europe, London
12:00 – 13:30 Luncheon hosted by the Slovak Atlantic Commission
13:30 – 15:00 2nd Panel: Transatlantic Relations After Changing Political Elites
Barack Obama has become the new President of the United States of America. Expectations from the new US president are high both in Europe and USA. At the same time, Barack Obama has already called upon the European Countries to increase the number of soldiers in Afghanistan. The mission in Afghanistan seems to be the biggest challenge which will prove the state of the transatlantic relations. What are the European countries ready to put on the common transatlantic table? The intention of the conference is to analyze the possible changes in the policy of the new administration and to identify the implications for Euro-Atlantic security environment and alternatives of development in this regard.
Chairman: Pavol Demeš, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Bratislava
John C. Hulsman, German Council on Foreign Relations
Martin Bútora, Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs, former Slovak Amb. to USA
Marcin Zaborowski, European Union Institute for Security Studies, Paris
Lt. Col. Scott Rutter (Retd), Director, Business Development, Communications and Tactical Networks, BAE Systems and National Spokesman and Board MemberTragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 17:00 3rd Panel: Europe Divided? Dealing With a Resurgent Russia
Europe is facing a new challenge: how to deal with a new, self-confident Russia. Russia is ever more active in its foreign policy and the Russian factor has potential to increasingly divide the European nations. On the one hand, there are EU members, which would like to sanction Russia for its actions in Georgia, on the other hand there are nations which would not like to give up their strategic relationship with this country. How will the partnership of EU as well as NATO with Russia look like in the future? The issue of the Ukrainian and Georgian aspiration to join NATO and EU has stirred the discussion not only in these countries but also elsewhere in Europe including in Russia. The panel will analyze the possible developments.
Chairman: Ambassador Ortwin Hennig, EastWest Institute, Brussels
James Sherr, Chatham House, Head of Russia and Eurasia Programme, London
Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow (Russia and Eurasia) at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London
Borys Tarasyuk, Chairman of the European Integration Committee, Ukrainian Parliament
Dmitriy Talanov, Head of NATO Unit of the All-European Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
17:00 Closing remarks and Summary
Róbert Vass, Secretary General of the Slovak Atlantic Commission
17:15 Evening Reception hosted by Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Jaroslav Baška, Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic
Short documentary: From Security Receiver to Security Provider: Slovakia Five Years in NATO and EU
In 2009 Slovakia celebrates five years as a member of transatlantic structures, NATO and EU. At the same time, this nation turned from the receiver of security into its provider. The intention of this short documentary is to evaluate the added value of Slovakia in these organizations as well as to draw implications for the future.
Introductory remarks: Michal Križan, President of the Euro-Atlantic Centre
Rastislav Káčer, President of the Slovak Atlantic Commission
9:10 – 10:00 Keynote Speech: Transatlantic Relations at Crossroad; new challenges ahead
Diana Štrofová, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovak Republic
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 12:00 1st Panel: NATO at 60: Towards a New Strategy?
In 2009, NATO celebrates 60th Anniversary of the Washington Treaty. At the same time it will be 10 years since the last Strategic Concept of NATO was adopted. The upcoming NATO Summit in Strasbourg – Kehl will open fundamental questions about the future of NATO and its role in the security environment of the 21st Century. Is it the time for retirement or rethinking the Alliance? Some expert argue, that the current Strategic Concept of NATO does not reflect the changes in the security environment which have occurred after 9/11 2001. Is it the right time to adopt a new Strategic Concept? Are the NATO allies ready at all to agree on a clear definition of the new security threats and are they ready to adopt a common strategy to fight them? The intention of this panel is to bring important stimuli to the discussion about the future strategies of the Alliance.
Chairman: Tomáš Valášek, Center for European Reform, London
Jean François Bureau, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy
Adam Rotfeld, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
Rob de Wijk, Director of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies
Robin Shepherd, Chatham House, Senior Research Fellow for Europe, London
12:00 – 13:30 Luncheon hosted by the Slovak Atlantic Commission
13:30 – 15:00 2nd Panel: Transatlantic Relations After Changing Political Elites
Barack Obama has become the new President of the United States of America. Expectations from the new US president are high both in Europe and USA. At the same time, Barack Obama has already called upon the European Countries to increase the number of soldiers in Afghanistan. The mission in Afghanistan seems to be the biggest challenge which will prove the state of the transatlantic relations. What are the European countries ready to put on the common transatlantic table? The intention of the conference is to analyze the possible changes in the policy of the new administration and to identify the implications for Euro-Atlantic security environment and alternatives of development in this regard.
Chairman: Pavol Demeš, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Bratislava
John C. Hulsman, German Council on Foreign Relations
Martin Bútora, Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs, former Slovak Amb. to USA
Marcin Zaborowski, European Union Institute for Security Studies, Paris
Lt. Col. Scott Rutter (Retd), Director, Business Development, Communications and Tactical Networks, BAE Systems and National Spokesman and Board MemberTragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 17:00 3rd Panel: Europe Divided? Dealing With a Resurgent Russia
Europe is facing a new challenge: how to deal with a new, self-confident Russia. Russia is ever more active in its foreign policy and the Russian factor has potential to increasingly divide the European nations. On the one hand, there are EU members, which would like to sanction Russia for its actions in Georgia, on the other hand there are nations which would not like to give up their strategic relationship with this country. How will the partnership of EU as well as NATO with Russia look like in the future? The issue of the Ukrainian and Georgian aspiration to join NATO and EU has stirred the discussion not only in these countries but also elsewhere in Europe including in Russia. The panel will analyze the possible developments.
Chairman: Ambassador Ortwin Hennig, EastWest Institute, Brussels
James Sherr, Chatham House, Head of Russia and Eurasia Programme, London
Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow (Russia and Eurasia) at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London
Borys Tarasyuk, Chairman of the European Integration Committee, Ukrainian Parliament
Dmitriy Talanov, Head of NATO Unit of the All-European Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
17:00 Closing remarks and Summary
Róbert Vass, Secretary General of the Slovak Atlantic Commission
17:15 Evening Reception hosted by Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Jaroslav Baška, Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic
Short documentary: From Security Receiver to Security Provider: Slovakia Five Years in NATO and EU
In 2009 Slovakia celebrates five years as a member of transatlantic structures, NATO and EU. At the same time, this nation turned from the receiver of security into its provider. The intention of this short documentary is to evaluate the added value of Slovakia in these organizations as well as to draw implications for the future.
Introductory remarks: Michal Križan, President of the Euro-Atlantic Centre
