Round Table Discussion and Launch of the “Asia’s Century” project

Press release

Round Table Discussion and Launch of the 

“Asia’s Century” project

LJUBLJANA/BUCHAREST, 23 March 2022 –On 24 March 2022 organizers Middle East Political and Economic Institute (MEPEI) and EuroDefense Romania together withInternational Institute for the Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics (ICI) and Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) as partners organize round table on the occasion of launching “Asia’s Century” project. The Media Partner of the event is Financial Inteligence. 

The event will take place

 in Bucharest, Romania, Panoramic 2 Conference hall, Marshal Garden Hotel, from 11.00 till 13.00.

The project aims to contribute to reducing tensions among various EU countries and countries from Asia and to facilitate communication and cooperation among them. It is also aimed at overcoming barriers generated by the current pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, as well as to contribute to resuming direct interinstitutional and human contacts.

If the 20^th century was considered mainly America’s century, there are more and more arguments for profiling the 21^st century as Asia’s century. “The West has been at the forefront of the world history for almost 200 years. Now it has to learn to share, even abandon, that position and adapt to a world it can no longer dominate.” (see Kishore Mahbubani)

Agenda of the event 

Moderator: Dr. Liviu MUREȘAN, President, EuroDefense Romania

11:00 – 11:10 Opening Remarks: Flavius CABA – MARIA, President, MEPEI Romania

11:10 – 12:15  Keynote Speeches

Guest Speaker: Prof. Anis BAJREKTAREVIC, Department Head for Strategic Studies on South-East Asia, International Institute for the Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), IFIMES Permanent Representation to Austria and Vienna-based IOs

Dr. Werner FASSLABEND, President, the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES), President EuroDefense Austria, and former Minister of Defense of Austria (1990-2000), Austria – On-line intervention

Prof. Teodor MELEȘCANU, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

Prof. Adrian SEVERIN, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

Amb. Viorel ISTICIOAIA-BUDURA, career diplomat, former Ambassador of Romania to People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, Republic of Korea. As an European official was Head of the Asia-Pacific Department with European External Action Service and Ambassador of the EU to Japan – On-line intervention

Dr. Alexandru GEORGESCU, Strategic Analyst, EuroDefense Romania

12:15 – 12:50 Q&A Session

12:50 – 13:00 Closing Remarks

Ljubljana/Bucharest, 23 March 2022