BELGRADE – The third Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) officially opened today under the motto: “In the Defence of Humanity”. The conference is organised by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP).
Over the next three days, the panel discussions will address the pressing issues, such as challenges for the Transatlantic partnership, consequences of the war in Ukraine, the enlargement of the EU, the future of democracy in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood, as well as the socio-political environment in the Western Balkans.
The conference was opened by Srđan Cvijić, President of the International Advisory Committee of Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP). He assessed that this year’s conference is held in challenging times, in which “we are surrounded by monsters of war in the East and South”, faced with authoritarianism, marked by the rise of autocracy, nationalism, populism and social polarization.
“We find ourselves in a pivotal moment. Our children are growing up without certainty of a peaceful and prosperous future”, Cvijić said.
According to him, we mustn’t allow ourselves to be weak and apathetic. “Those who fight for peace are heroes of our time, and those who defend democracy are saving our future”, Cvijić said.
Cvijić pointed out that the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) regionalised the conference by inviting organisations from the Western Balkans to submit their proposals to participate in the conference.
“This conference is a home for all the people of the Balkan region and a safe place for discussions that affect us all”, he added.
Cvijić mentioned the Belgrade Security Conference Young Leaders Program which remains an essential part of our initiative. “By bringing together 30 young leaders from the Western Balkans, we are investing in the next generation of advocates for peace, democracy, and human rights”, Cvijić said.
Among the confirmed speakers at the conference are Federica Mogherini, Rector of the College of Europe and Director of the European Union Diplomatic Academy, René Troccaz, Special Envoy for the Western Balkans of the French Republic, Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Institute for International Affairs, Thomas Hacker and Boris Mijatović, Members of the German Bundestag, Tanja Miščević, Minister of European Integration of Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, Head of the Delegation of European Union to Serbia and Dritan Abazović, the former Prime Minister of Montenegro.
The BSC 2024 is dedicated to Budimir Lončar, the last Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia serving from 1987 until 1991, and a long-serving career diplomat who passed away this year.