Welcoming Address: JÁN NOSKO, Mayor of Banská Bystrica ANDREI ZUBOV, Professor of History, Columnist, Novaya Gazeta, Moscow ST

Home , Andrej Kiska, Bohuslav Sobotka, Giorgi Margvelashvili, Globsec, Slovak National Uprising, Tomasz Siemoniak

Welcoming Address: JÁN NOSKO, Mayor of Banská Bystrica CONFIRMED ANDREI ZUBOV, Professor of History, Columnist, Novaya Gazeta, Moscow CONFIRMED STANISLAV MIČEV, Director General, Museum of the Slovak National Uprising, Banská Bystrica INVITED PETR KOLÁŘ, Senior Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs, former Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Prague INVITED MILAN NIČ, Managing Director, Central European Policy Institute, Bratislava INVITED Led by: LUKÁŠ FILA, Editor-in-Chief, Denník N, Bratislava CONFIRMED

MARIÁN MAJER, Senior Fellow for Security and Defence, Central European Policy Institute, Bratislava INVITED MILAN ŠÁŠIK C.M., Bishop, Eparchy of Mukacheve, Mukacheve INVITED JULIJ HOJDASH, Head, Department of International Relations, Uzhgorod National University, Uzhgorod INVITED ŠTEFAN FÜLE, Former European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Prague INVITED Led by: MARTIN EHL, Head, Foreign Affairs Desk, Hospodářske noviny, Prague INVITED

(Upon separate invitation only)

AMB. RASTISLAV KÁČER, Honorary President, Central European Strategy Council; Honorary Chairman, Slovak Atlantic Commission, Budapest CONFIRMED

H. E. MIROSLAV LAJČÁK, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic CONFIRMED

One year before NATO leaders reconvene for the summit in Warsaw, we need to evaluate how the taskings and commitments of the Wales summit have been transformed into reality. Another important question will be what the priorities of the upcoming gathering in Warsaw should be. In Wales, the Allies have reconfirmed their commitment to collective defence and tasked urgent measures to make NATO’s defence and deterrence both credible and relevant to the security challenges emanating from Russia and the Middle East. Has the gap between threat perceptions narrowed? Are we really willing to use force to defend one another? In case of a cyber attack or a hybrid challenge, where is the threshold for triggering common action and how can NATO bolster national responses? Have we managed to tackle the erosion of transatlanticism?

H. E. JENS STOLTENBERG, Secretary General of NATO CONFIRMED H. E. TOMASZ SIEMONIAK, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland CONFIRMED BOGDAN AURESCU, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania CONFIRMED AMB. VICTORIA NULAND, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State, Washington, D.C. INVITED Led by: BROOKS TIGNER, NATO/EU Affairs Correspondent, Jane's Defence Weekly, Brussels CONFIRMED

H. E. FRANÇOIS HOLLANDE, President of the French Republic PREL. CONF. Hosted by: ISABELLE KUMAR, Presenter, Euronews, Lyon CONFIRMED

The Visegrad Group is facing the most significant challenge to its own security since the end of the Cold War. Since three out of four member states are direct neighbours of Ukraine, the whole Group founds itself on the geographical periphery of the European Union. Therefore, the Visegrad Group has to do its best in order to avoid being moved to the political periphery as well. In economic dimension, V4 continues to demonstrate its potential to grow as new challenges are put on the table. The most crucial of those remains energy infrastructure in the broader region that will directly influence further chances of Central Europe to increase its competitiveness. What can the V4 countries do to improve their position on the energy markets and to negotiate better prices of energy supplies? What can be done within the Visegrad Group to make our economies stronger competitors? How will the current trend of start-up entrepreneurship contribute to the region moving forward in terms of stable economies and greater capacity? How else can the Visegrad Group strengthen its position within the European Union?

H. E. ROBERT FICO, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic CONFIRMED H. E. BOHUSLAV SOBOTKA, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic PREL. CONF. H. E. VIKTOR ORBÁN, Prime Minister of Hungary PREL. CONF. H. E. EWA KOPACZ, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland PREL. CONF. Led by: tbd

RÓBERT VASS, Executive Vice-President and CEO, Central European Strategy Council, Bratislava CONFIRMED IVO NESROVNAL, Mayor of Bratislava CONFIRMED 2

HON. MIKHAIL SAAKASHVILI, former President of Georgia INVITED URMAS PAET, Member of European Parliament, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, Brussels INVITED ANDREI KORTUNOV, Director General, Russian International Affairs Council, Moscow INVITED PAVEL ANDREEV, Founder, Center for Global Strategies and Communications, Moscow INVITED Led by: NIK GOWING, International Broadcaster, London CONFIRMED

Years after the economy crisis and the crisis of values and leadership hit the European Union, struggles from internal and external environment keep appearing. The 28-member bloc still faces economic difficulties, which are accompanied by continuing internal division, threat of the United Kingdom leaving the community and most recently new political leadership in Greece. Sanctions towards Russia, sensitivity of energy market and further influx of radical extremists pose major challenges that require unity, strong leadership and clear vision. Is Europe able to protect its vulnerabilities towards these crucial challenges and come out of the crisis stronger? What institutional reforms should be adopted in order to better address current state of affairs?

H. E. DONALD TUSK, President, European Council, Brussels INVITED Hosted by: STEFAN KORNELIUS, Foreign Editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung; Munich CONFIRMED

YEVHEN FEDCHENKO, Director and Co-Founder, StopFake.org, Kiev CONFIRMED ZAHED AMANULLAH, Senior Programme Manager, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London CONFIRMED Led by: BEN NIMMO, Analyst and Consultant, Haddington CONFIRMED

Have we entered into the era of pure geo-economics when financial shifts profoundly affect the distribution of power in the world? Has oil price become a geopolitical weapon? What position has Europe and North America in the changing dynamics of global order? Do the institutions created by the West still sufficiently influence the current dynamics? Are we able to engage the BRICS countries and other states into this system or will they establish their own politico-economic platforms? Will the global economic system evolve into one not so favourable to the West and not so much managed by the West? How to gear ourselves up to these changes? To what extent is foreign policy dependent on economy in the 21st century rather than based on values? How can states use economic tools to influence foreign policy of other states? Do sanctions work?

HON. ÁNGEL GURRÍA, Secretary General of OECD, Paris CONFIRMED SANJAYA BARU, Director for Geo-Economics and Strategy, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Bahrain Office, Manama CONFIRMED 3

GEORGE FRIEDMAN, Founder and Chairman, Stratfor, Austin CONFIRMED CELSO LUIZ AMORIM, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Rio De Janeiro CONFIRMED Led by: KATHLEEN KOCH, former CNN Correspondent, Washington, D.C. INVITED

A mortal extremist element is spreading fear, violence and instability across the whole Middle East. ISIS seems to have appeared suddenly, causing both local actors and Western leadership to reshape policy towards region. What are the root causes underlying the rise and success of ISIS? What makes ISIS unique as a terrorist organisation? What are the lessons learned from this and other operations against terrorism? What role should regional actors play?

Introductory remarks: GEN. JOHN ALLEN, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED KHALED KHOJA, President, Syrian National Coalition, Istanbul INVITED AMB. MEHMET FATIH CEYLAN, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to NATO, Brussels CONFIRMED HASSAN HASSAN, Journalist and Writer, The National, Abu Dhabi PREL. CONF. Led by: ANTON LA GUARDIA, Correspondent, The Economist, London CONFIRMED

H. E. KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIĆ, President of the Republic of Croatia CONFIRMED H. E. GJORGE IVANOV, President of the Republic of Macedonia CONFIRMED ŠTEFAN FÜLE, former European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Prague CONFIRMED Led by: IVAN VEJVODA, Senior Vice-President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED

Geopolitics has returned to an unprepared Central and Eastern Europe. What is the state of affairs after Kiev’s make- or-break winter of 2014? Has the region been effective in its reaction to Russia and its assistance to Ukraine? How has Central Europe performed for its part? What must be done by all sides to buttress Ukraine’s aspirations, including that of EU membership? Is there a common narrative in foreign and security policy? What contingencies lay ahead and how do we build solidarity to address them?

H. E. ANDREJ KISKA, President of the Slovak Republic CONFIRMED H. E. BRONISŁAW KOMOROWSKI, President of the Republic of Poland PREL. CONF. H. E. PETRO POROSHENKO, President of Ukraine INVITED Led by: DAVID IGNATIUS, Opinion Writer, The Washington Post, Washington, D.C. PREL. CONF.

(Upon separate invitation only)

Have we reached a common understanding on the nature and magnitude of the Russian challenge? Have sanctions and the overall Western strategy worked thus far? Have policies in Ukraine and elsewhere served or damaged Russia’s own interests? Could Putin’s Russia be re-engaged into the international system and on what conditions? Or have we lost Russia for good? How will Russia look beyond Putin? What should be the new framework of Europe’s relations with Moscow?

Led by: NIK GOWING, International Broadcaster, London CONFIRMED Featuring: H. E. LINAS LINKEVIČIUS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania INVITED ANDREI KORTUNOV, Director General, Russian International Affairs Council, Moscow INVITED CARL BILDT, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden, Stockholm INVITED

H. E. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, Chief Executive Officer, Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan PREL. CONF. Led by: ANNE NIVAT, Journalist and War Correspondent, Paris CONFIRMED

Dependence on Russian oil and gas has restricted Europe’s political options during the crisis in Ukraine. What are the political knots preventing the emergence of a common energy market across the European Union? Is this item high enough on the new European Commission’s priority list? Can the building of interconnectors in Central and Eastern Europe and in the EU’s North-South dimension be accelerated? What degree of geographic diversification is desirable and feasible, and who should be the strategic partner(s) of choice? Can renewable sources and nuclear power enter into the mix effectively?

MAROŠ ŠEFČOVIČ, Vice President, European Commission, Brussels CONFIRMED HON. JAMES E. RISCH,, Member, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, INVITED Washington, D.C. FATIH BIROL, Chief Economist and Director of Global Energy Economics, International Energy Agency, Paris CONFIRMED SPEAKER, Industry (Poland) Led by: CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL, Senior Editor, The Weekly Standard, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED

H.E. TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES, President of the Republic of Estonia, Tallinn INVITED REPRESENTATIVE OF ESET, Bratislava INVITED RÓBERT VASS, Executive Vice-President and CEO, Central European Strategy Council, Bratislava CONFIRMED Led by: KATHLEEN KOCH, former CNN Correspondent, Washington, D.C. INVITED

TIMOTHY SNYDER, Bird White Housum Professor of History, Yale University, New Haven CONFIRMED ANDREY ZUBOV, Columnist, Novaya Gazeta, Moscow CONFIRMED Led by: EDWARD LUCAS, Senior Vice-President, Center for European Policy Analysis, London CONFIRMED

Introductory Remarks: VITALI KLITSCHKO, Mayor of Kiev INVITED ALEXANDER VONDRA, Director, Centre for Transatlantic Relations, CEVRO Institute, Prague INVITED JANA KOBZOVÁ, Program Officer, European Endowment for Democracy, Brussels INVITED AMB. IGOR SLOBODNÍK, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava INVITED Led by: ŠTEFAN HRÍB, Editor-in-Chief, .týždeň, Bratislava CONFIRMED

You will find the list of planned dinner sessions at the end of this document.

Redrawing the map of Ukraine has meant the major geopolitical change in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold war. In Donbas, Russia still attempts to undermine Ukraine´s security and political stability. Meanwhile, new Ukrainian government has to focus on hard economic and political reforms in order to avoid national bankruptcy and to stabilize security situation in its South-East. What are Ukraine´s policy options to address Russian challenge and to stabilize current situation? What political and economic measures have to be taken in order to boost reforming process and to fulfil terms issued in Minsk Agreement? What practical support can Europe deliver to Ukraine´s government in its attempts to reform the national economy?

UKRAINIAN REPRESENTATIVE IVAN MIKLOŠ, Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic; former Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava CONFIRMED KARL-GEORG WELLMANN, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Bundestag, Berlin CONFIRMED TIMOTHY SNYDER, Bird White Housum Professor of History, Department of History, Yale University, New Haven CONFIRMED Led by: CHRYSTIA FREELAND, Member of the House of Commons, The Parliament of Canada, Ottawa PREL. CONF.

The tensions between Moscow and Brussels have brought new threats and challenges to all European states and their neighbours. What is the security situation in countries in the ‘arc of crisis’ around Russia? How has Russia’s aggressive foreign policy towards former socialist countries, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, influenced the security policies of Moscow’s direct neighbours which have established closer ties with the EU and NATO? How should these

countries and the EU respond to the new security conditions and therefore ensure a sustainable security situation in their regions?

H. E. GIORGI MARGVELASHVILI, President of Georgia CONFIRMED HON. LAMBERTO ZANNIER, Secretary General of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe CONFIRMED IURIE LEANCĂ, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Chișinău PREL. CONF. Led by: KONSTANTIN VON EGGERT, former Editor-in-Chief, Kommersant FM Radio, Moscow CONFIRMED

hosted by H. E. ANDREJ KISKA, President of the Slovak Republic

(Upon separate invitation only)

As security threats for the transatlantic community multiply, allies and partners have urged the Obama Administration to revise its perceived retrenchment from the world. What is Europe’s place among US foreign policy priorities in the age of the “Asian pivot” and growing turmoil in the Middle East? How should the USA and Europe jointly react to Russia and assist Ukraine? What must be Europe’s priorities to provide for its security and to keep the transatlantic relationship vibrant?

HON. JOHN MCCAIN, Chairman, Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED U.S. SENATOR Hosted by: tbd

Russia is waging “the most amazing information warfare blitzkrieg we have ever seen in the history of information warfare,” said General Philip Breedlove, NATO’s top commander. Unholy alliances have emerged between Russia and European extremists, right and left, exploiting people’s grievances and the lingering pro-Russian sentiment. Russian influence in Central Europe is growing, proving the region to be extremely vulnerable towards economic as well as soft instruments Russia currently disposes of. How can we effectively face increased pressure on multiple fronts – economic, political, business and media? How do we find better ways of getting our message across, including to Russians in the EU? What must be done to renew confidence in democracy at home? What role could individual citizens, civic organisations and the media play?

MICHAEL MANN, Head of Division of Strategic Communications, European External Action Service, Brussels INVITED EDWARD LUCAS, Senior Vice-President, Center for European Policy Analysis, London CONFIRMED ROBERT PSZCZEL, Director, NATO Information Office, Moscow CONFIRMED PÉTER KREKÓ, Director, Political Capital Policy Research and Consulting Institute, 7

Budapest CONFIRMED Led by: MISHA GLENNY, Journalist, Author and Broadcaster, London CONFIRMED

With recent attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine Islamic terrorism gained a new face – one that will most probably be seen in the Western world more often. Small attacks with less casualties but significant emotional impact remain to be seen – attacks that not only cost human lives but directly threaten Western values and freedoms. More cases appear with individuals from France, Britain or Germany traveling to Syria and Iraq, obtaining military training and undergoing intense brainwashing in terms of values and goals of radical cells. Charlie Hebdo attacked showed us that protecting people from terrorist acts still should be a burning priority for governments of the West. What role should intelligence play in this regard? How should big data be effectively gathered and evaluated when following jihadist activities? What changes need to be undertaken in order to avoid individual suspects threatening our security slipping out of our attention? What are the most effective methods to deal with the potential influx of radicalised individuals back into their home countries? Is there a way to avoid growing Islamophobia and “find reconciliation” with Islam?

GILLES DE KERCHOVE, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Brussels INVITED HON. MICHAEL CHERTOFF, Chairman and Co-Founder, The Chertoff Group; former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED PETER NEUMANN, Director, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, King's College, London CONFIRMED HABIB MALIK, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Byblos CONFIRMED Led by: AHMED SHIHAB-ELDIN, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University, New York CONFIRMED

RÓBERT VASS, Founder of the GLOBSEC Forum, Executive Vice-President & CEO, Central European Strategy Council, Bratislava CONFIRMED

As Europe and the US are overwhelmed by everyday conflicts in Ukraine and worsening relations with Russia, international players keep forgetting about economically and strategically one of the most important regions in the world, East Asia. The security situation between China, Japan and South Korea is many times tighter than current EU-Russia relations. Is cooperation between China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea sufficient for ensuring the security in East Asian region in particular and Asian region in general? Does the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) have a promising future? Should we be aware of security threats coming directly from this region? How do nationalist sentiments toward historical issues and modern territorial disputes contribute to an uncertain security situation?

JIN HA HWANG, Chairman, National Defence Committee, National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Seoul CONFIRMED CUI HONGJIAN, Director, China Institute of International Studies, Beijing CONFIRMED AMB. ISHII MASAFUMI, Ambassador of Japan in the Kingdom of Belgium, Brussels CONFIRMED Led by: SHANNON TIEZZI, Author, The Diplomat, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED

H. E. SAMEH SHOUKRY, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt INVITED H. E. GEBRAN BASSIL, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lebanese Republic INVITED BASSMA KODMANI, Executive Director, Arab Reform Initiative, Paris INVITED Led by: ANDREW TABLER, Research Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington, D.C. INVITED

DANIEL KORSKI, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Government of the United Kingdom, London INVITED MARK PRITCHARD, Member of the House of Commons, UK Parliament, London PREL. CONF. PHILLIP BLOND, Director, ResPublica, London CONFIRMED JÁNOS MARTONYI, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Budapest CONFIRMED Led by: ROBIN SHEPHERD, Publisher, The Commentator, London PREL. CONF.

MARCIN ZABOROWSKI, Director, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Warsaw INVITED AMB. KURT VOLKER, Executive Director, McCain Institute of International Leadership, Arizona State University, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED FABRICE POTHIER, Head of Policy Planning, Private Office of the Secretary General, NATO, Brussels CONFIRMED Led by: AMB. TOMÁŠ VALÁŠEK, Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to NATO, Brussels CONFIRMED

JONATHAN PARIS, Senior Advisor, The Chertoff Group, London CONFIRMED IRANIAN REPRESENTATIVE FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE Led by: JUDY DEMPSEY, Editor in Chief, Strategic Europe, Berlin CONFIRMED

IAN BRZEZINSKI, Senior Fellow, The Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C. INVITED PHILIPPE ERRERA, Director for Strategic Affairs, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of France, Paris INVITED Led by: PATRICK KELLER, Head of Foreign Policy and Security, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Berlin CONFIRMED

EVGENY NADORSHIN, Advisor to the Minister for Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Moscow CONFIRMED SEGEI ALEKSASHENKO, former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Russia, Moscow CONFIRMED Led by: PHILIP STEPHENS, Author and Commentator, The Financial Times, Brussels INVITED

PETER JAVORČÍK, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic INVITED 9

POLISH REPRESENTATIVE HUNGARIAN REPRESENTATIVE Led by: tbd

DAN MERIDOR, former Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy of Israel, Tel Aviv CONFIRMED ROBERT KANDRA, Senior Advisor, The Chertoff Group, Washington, D.C. CONFIRMED BRITISH REPRESENTATIVE Led by: RICHARD ALDRICH, Professor of International Security, Warwick University, Coventry CONFIRMED

RÓBERT TIBENSKÝ, National Armaments Director, Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic INVITED WLODZIMIERZ NOWAK, Director of Armaments Policy, Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland INVITED JITKA NALEVAJKOVÁ, National Armaments Director, Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces of the Czech Republic INVITED Led by: JAROSLAV NAĎ, Senior Fellow, Security and Defence Programme, Central European Policy Institute, Bratislava CONFIRMED

HON. MICHAEL CHERTOFF, Chairman and Co-Founder, The Chertoff Group; former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C. INVITED BARONESS NEVILLE-JONES, Former Special Representative to Business on Cyber Security, London INVITED H.E. RÓBERT KALIŇÁK, Minister of Interior of the Slovak Republic INVITED Led by: HENRY FOY, Central Europe Correspondent, The Financial Times, Warsaw INVITED