Black Sea Security Conference

About the event

The Black Sea Security Conference is a two-day event focusing on the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus and seeks to raise awareness of its importance in the broader European security context. It will also provide a forum for discussing the perspectives of the “Zeitenwende” and concerns related to economics and energy security.  

Programme

09:30 Welcome Coffee, Registration and Hint Game  

10:00 Welcome Remarks 

Fjona Merkaj, Project Officer, European Liberal Forum 
Katrin Bannach, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom South Caucasus, Germany 
George Melashvili Europe-Georgia Institute, Georgia 

10:15 Keynote  

Speaker: Ernst-Peter Fischer, Ambassador of Germany to Georgia 

10:30 EU & NATO Enlargement as a Security Tool 

Gerlinde Niehus Defence and Security Cooperation at NATO, Germany 
Paul Ivan, Renew Europe, Romania 
Dr. Bartłomiej E. Nowak Team Europe Direct, Poland (tbc) 
Amb. Gigi Gigiadze Economic Policy Research Center, Georgia 
Denis Cenusa Expert-Grup, Moldova 
Iryna Khomiak, German Marshall Fund, Ukraine 
Raimar Wagner Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Romania 
Velizar Shalamanov, Bulgarian delegation to the parliamentary assembly of NATO  
Mitat Çelikpala Kadir Has University, Türkiye 
Moderated by: Marta Ardashelia, Editor-in-Chief SOVA News & Shamil Shugaev, Senior Program Manager FNF South Caucasus 

13:00 Lunch and Quiz Game 

14:15 Hybrid War and Geopolitics 

Gela Bezhuashvili, Former head of the Georgian Intelligence Service, Georgia  
Zhanna Nemtsova, Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, Russia  
Speaker from Taiwan  
Swen Dornig Defence Institution Building School by Substantial NATO-Georgia Package 
Moderated by: George Melashvili, Chairman Europe-Georgia Institute 

15:45 Day 1 Closure 

09:30 Welcome Coffee, Registration and Hint Game 

10:00 Welcome Remarks 

Speaker: Shamil Shugaev, Senior Program Manager, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom South Caucasus  

10:15 Keynote  

Speaker: EU Delegation to Georgia  

10:30 Connectivity: Trade and Energy Routes 

Elchin Rashidov, The Institute of Political Management, Azerbaijan
Dr. Filiz Katman Energy Politics and Markets Research Center at Istanbul Aydin University, Türkiye
Robert Ghevondyan, Research Center on Security Policy, Armenia
Ioseb Berikashvili Security, Policy & Nationalism Research Center at the University of Georgia  
Romain Le Quiniou Managing Director at Euro Créative  
Moderated by: Viktorya Muradyan, Communication Officer, European Liberal Forum & Editor-in-Chief, The European Correspondent

12:00 Lunch 

13:00 The Role of Global and Regional Actors in future of the Black Sea Security  

Opening by: Stephan Malerius, Head of Office, Konrad Adenauer Foundation South Caucasus 
Niklas Swanstrom, Executive Director, the Institute for Security and Development Policy  
Mustafa Aydin, President, International Relations Council of Turkey  
Kornely Kakachia, Director, Georgian Institute of Politics 
Moderated by: Dr. Stefan Meister, Head of the Center for Order and Governance, DGAP 

14:30 Coffee Break and Quiz Game 

15:00 The Role of the NATO 

Amb. Batu Kutelia Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute 
Defne Sadiklar Arslan, Senior Director, Atlantic Council in Turkey  
Ian Kelly, Former Ambassador of the US in Georgia 
Mykhailo Samus, Director New Geopolitics Research Network at Hudson Institute 
Nata Koridze, Managing Editor, Civil.ge 

16:40 Day 2 Closure