The second edition of the Sarajevo Security Conference, one of the most important annual diplomatic events in BiH, began today in the Sarajevo City Hall under the slogan “European Perspectives on Security Challenges”.
The event brought together more than 300 participants and 50 speakers, including leading European and American officials, diplomats, security experts, professors, journalists, and other experts and practitioners. The conference’s rich program focuses on key security issues caused by global threats and geopolitical changes.
Senior Director of the Newlines Institute, Azeem Ibrahim, said that today’s conference is part of a broader initiative to develop a center for security in the Western Balkans within the framework of the Newlines Institute.
– The region of the Western Balkans has been neglected for too long and that is why it is important to put these challenges back on the agenda, especially after the start of the war in Ukraine. We must ensure that this region finds its way to security and prosperity – said Ibrahim.
He added that NATO membership is an absolute priority for the region, in order to ensure that the Western Balkans are deeply integrated into the democratic world.
Director of the Security Conference, Hikmet Karčić, believes that the Sarajevo Security Conference is the biggest diplomatic event in the Western Balkans.
– We hope to make Sarajevo the center of diplomatic activities, science and policy making in this area. We want to bring the region closer to Euro-Atlantic integration through diplomacy – he said.
Program manager of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Jata Losaj, believes that the topics of the conference are important because of the current geopolitical situation in the world.
– I hope that we will have useful advice for future decision makers and politicians – said Losaj.
The Sarajevo security conference is organized by the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, within the framework of the “New Line Institute for Strategic Analysis” association, and with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation – Dialogue for Southeast Europe.
