Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Forum

The conference will feature frank discussions on topical issues related to the rise of Asia and the challenges this poses to the established powers of the north, transatlantic relations, the future of NATO and the EU, political shifts within Europe, the EU’s eastern partners, cyber security, and developments in Central-Asia, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Russia.

The Lennart Meri Conference is a high-level annual meeting, organised by the International Centre for Defence Studies, at which foreign and security policy issues are discussed from the perspective of the Northern and Eastern parts of Europe.

The participants include this year for example Latvian prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis, Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, Georgian defense minister Irakli Alasania, Latvian defense minister Artis Pabriks and former Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius, LETA/Postimees Online reports.

The conference will begin in the evening of May 24 and will conclude at lunchtime on May 26. Attendance is by invitation only, but the plenary sessions of the conference will be available through real time webcast at http://www.icds.ee/.