Hussar and President of the Saxon State Parliament open the Central Europe Forum in Tallinn
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar and President of the Saxon State Parliament Alexander Dierks will open the Conference “Europe and Central Europe at a Global Turning Point”, organised by the Central Europe Forum at the Saxon State Parliament, in the Conference Hall of the Riigikogu in Tallinn today. The Forum will discuss Europe’s role, opportunities and choices in the changed global security landscape.
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius will deliver a video address at the Conference.
The first keynote speech of the Forum will be by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson, who will speak of values-based realism as Estonia’s survival strategy in the face of authoritarian threat. Member of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid will participate in the panel discussion on external dangers to freedom and democracy. Ambassador of Germany to Estonia Jan Scheer, former National Security Advisor to the Government of the Czech Republic Tomáš Pojar and expert at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Erik Kursetgjerde will also take part in the discussion. The panel discussion will be moderated by Head of foreign desk at the Newspaper Postimees Evelyn Kaldoja.
The second keynote speech by First Vice-President of the Czech Senate Jiří Drahoš will deal with resilient self-assertion and internal measures to preserve democracy. Head of Security and Resilience Programme at the International Centre for Defence and Security Marek Kohv, Professor of Political and Social History at Tallinn University Karsten Brüggemann and strategic communication expert Marianna Makarova will participate in the panel discussion following the speech. The panel discussion will be moderated by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’s correspondent for Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States Stefan Locke.
The first event organised by the Central Europe Forum at the Saxon State Parliament took place in 2011. This year’s Conference of the Central Europe Forum is organised in cooperation of the Saxon State Parliament and the Riigikogu. In addition to members of the Riigikogu and speakers, nearly 40 members and officials of the Saxon State Parliament will attend the event. In the past, the forum has also been held in Vilnius and Prague.
Within the framework of the Forum, the President of the Riigikogu will have meetings with President of the Saxon State Parliament Alexander Dierks and First Vice-President of the Czech Senate Jiří Drahoš. Eerik-Niiles Kross, Chairman of the Riigikogu committee of investigation to investigate the influence activities of the Russian Federation, the methods of financing them, and the risks associated with them, will also have a meeting with Drahoš.
Photos (author: Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
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