“Taming the Storm” was the central theme of the two-day GLOBSEC Conference, held on 30-31 August 2024. The conference highlighted the importance of Central and Eastern Europe in maintaining global stability. It focused on the unprecedented security situation in Ukraine and the future of the European Union.
The Czech Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, addressed a panel on Countering Russia’s Hybrid Threat, followed by a discussion with Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihail Popșoi, NATO Assistant Secretary General Marie-Doha Besancenot, and Stephen Doughty, UK Minister of State for Europe, North America, and Overseas Territories.
“One issue will be crucial for Europe’s future. That one issue is how we deal with Russia’s aggression against the West. The stage from which I am addressing you today holds the name of the late Czechoslovak and Czech president Václav Havel. He once said I quote, ‘The Russian problem is that it doesn’t exactly know where it begins and where it ends,’ end of quote. To put it bluntly, Russian imperial ambitions have no limits. Unless we set them,” said the Czech diplomacy chief at the beginning of his speech.
“Resisting Russian imperialism is the call of the day. It is also a key part of a much larger struggle to preserve the world governed by the UN Charter and international law. It is vital that we continue to live together in an environment in which the power of international law, not the law of the stronger, prevails. Our security and prosperity depend on it,” highlighted Minister Lipavský.
In various panel discussions, participants commemorated the anniversary of NATO’s expansion and establishment. Discussions focused on the EU’s future direction after the elections, the outcomes of the NATO Washington Summit, and the upcoming US presidential election.
Several foreign ministers attended the conference, including the Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, Mirek Dušek, Executive Director of the World Economic Forum responsible for Europe and Eurasia, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of the Open Russia movement. Over 1500 participants from 70 countries attended the conference.
