January 17, 2008 (Thursday)

Congress Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava

08.00-08.30 Registration of participants

08.30-08.50 Opening remarks

H.E. Mr. Ján Kubiš: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Rep.
Mr. Róbert Vass: Chairman Slovak Atlantic Commission
Ms. Lucia Marcišiaková: Vice-president, Euro-Atlantic Center

08:50-10:30 Discussion Panel I.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN THE BALKANS: ADDRESSING CONFLICTS THROUGH COOPERATION?

Chairman: Mr. Pavol Demeš, director of the German Marshall Fund of the US, Bratislava

Vice-Admiral Dragan Samardzic: Deputy Minister for Material Resources and Defence Policy, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Montenegro
Dr. Arian Starova: Member of Parliament, Albania. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania
Mr. Karel Kovanda: Deputy Director General for CFSP, European Commission
Mr. Marin Lessenski: Executive Director of the Institute for Regional and International Studies, Bulgaria

10:30-10:45 Coffee Break

10:45-11:45 Keynote address

ASSISTING AFGHANISTAN: THE IMPORTANCE OF A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

Chairman: H.E. Ján Kubiš: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic

Amb. Mr. Claudio Bisogniero: NATO Deputy Secretary General
Mr. Antonio Maria Costa: Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

12:00-13:30 Lunch in Restaurant Diplomat, MFA SR (welcoming remarks by H.E. Mr. Vincent Obsitnik, Ambassador of the United States to the Slovak Republic)

Lunch in the Palugyai Palace (upon invitation)
hosted by Mr. Jaroslav Baška, State Secretary of Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic.

13:30-15:00 Discussion panel II.

THE BALKANS IN 2008: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

Chairman: Mr. Tomáš Valášek, Center for European Reform, London

Amb. František Lipka: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Former Ambassador to the Republic of Yugoslavia
Dr. Amadeo Watkins: senior research fellow, UK Defence College.
Dr. Steven E. Meyer: Professor of National Security Studies, National Defense University of the US.
Mr. Predrag Jurekovic: Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management, the Austrian National Defence Academy

15:00-15:15 Remarks by H.E. Victoria Nuland: The Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO (video record)

15:15-17:30 Coffee Break

15:30-17:10 Discussion panel III.

WINNING THE WAR, CREATING PEACE: SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES IN AFGHANISTAN

Chairman: Mr. Peter Stano, Slovak Radio

H.E. Mohammed Kacem Fazelly: Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the Slovak Republic
Dr. Thomas Pietschmann: Research officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna
Mr. Morten F. Henriksen: International Staff’s Operations Division, NATO HQ, Brussels.
LtC. Chris Cavoli: US Army, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany
Col. László Szabó: Former Commander of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Baghaln

17:10-17:30 Coffee Break

17:30-19:00 Discussion panel IV.

TODAY’S CAPABILITIES IN TOMORROW’S OPERATIONS: IMPROVING THE MILITARY TOOL KIT

Chairman: Mr. Mário Nicolini, Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic

Mr. Jaroslav Baška: State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic
Mr. Jozef Mihok: President of the Association of the Defence Industry of the Slovak Republic
Lt.Gen. Mr. William Campbell (rtd.) : Vice President of Communication and Information Systems Integration, BAE Systems

19:00-21:00 Reception in the Palugayi Palace hosted by H.E. Ján Kubiš, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic