The Bush School of Government & Public Service in Washington, D.C. hosted the eighth Euro-Atlantic Forum “The Paradigm of the Three Seas Initiative: From Energy to Security,” which became part of the international forum cycle Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future.
This was reported Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and Center for US-Ukrainian Relations.
The forum featured three thematic panel discussions on the development of the Three Seas Initiative for 2015-2024 in a regional context, particularly for Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Baltic States, and Ukraine. The main topics of the forum included consideration of the prospects for energy independence, transport and digital integration, and security aspects of cooperation between the countries of the region.
Reportedly, key speakers included Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva, former US Ambassador to Romania Adrian Zuckerman, Senior Non-Resident Fellow of the Atlantic Council Agnia Grigas, Executive Director of the Center for US-Ukrainian Relations Walter Zarytsky, Senior Fellow of the Jamestown Foundation Margarita Assenova, Senior Lecturer of the Bush School Kateryna Shynkaruk, Director of Fuel and Natural Gas Transportation Projects, Energy Policy Research Foundation (EPRINC) Max Payseur, Ambassador John Herbst (Atlantic Council), Regional Director of IRI Steven Nix, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt, Senior Non-Resident Fellow of FPRI Steven Blank, and others.
During a special focus session, the idea of creating a possible future “Frontline States Alliance” to jointly confront aggressive challenges and strengthen regional security was considered.
The organizers were the Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations, the American Foreign Policy Council, the George W. Bush School of Government and Public Service (Texas A&M), and the Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America.
The event was free for all participants thanks to contributions from sponsoring organizations, including Heritage Foundation Of First Security Federal Savings Bank, Self Reliance NY Federal Credit Union, SUMA Yonkers FCU, and Unique Print NY.
Background
The international forum series “Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future” (UEAF) emerged from the many years of activity of the organizers and partners of the roundtable series “Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood”.
For more than ten years, the Quest series has formed an expert environment for discussions on Ukrainian statehood, and at the end of 2006 its initiators decided to launch a new international discussion series dedicated to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
The first event of the new cycle of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future International Forum I was held on June 11-13, 2007 at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine (Kyiv). The forum was attended by more than 80 representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions from European and North American countries, including: Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, Great Britain, USA. In total, about 320 participants registered for the event.
The high level of interest from the Ukrainian and international audience contributed to the formation of a three-stage model of holding events each year: (USA) - a basic forum called Quest; Ukraine - events in Kyiv (Kharkiv, Lviv or Donetsk) and a European capital - Berlin, Warsaw, Brussels, London, Paris, if possible - Ottawa (Canada). The last two events were called Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future (UEAF).
To date, seven UEAF symposia have been organized.
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Author: Inna Mikhno