On June 8, New Strategy Center, Ovidius University of Constanta, and The Romanian Diplomatic held the 1st day of the Black Sea and Balkan Security Forum at Constanța, Romania. During the first part of the day, Mr. Ionel Nițu, president of New Strategy Center, Mr. Decebal Făgădău, mayor of Constanța, Mr. Sorin Rugină, rector of the Ovidius University of Constanța, Mr. Dan Petre, director of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute delivered introductory remarks. The official opening session of the forum was then followed by 4 thematic panels, where the panelists delivered various speeches and presentations on the security challenges in the Black Sea are ad the Balkans, cyber security challenges, energy security, and information war.
Panel I – Security challenges in the Black Sea area and the Balkans (open session)
Chair – Ambassador Sergiu Celac |member of the Scientific Council of the New Strategy Center|
Ambassador Sorin Ducaru |Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, NATO|
Mr. Victor Micula |Secretary of state, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania|
Panel II – Cyber security and its growing challenges (open session)
Chair–Mr. Gabriel Mazilu |advisor to Government, Romania|
Ambassador Sorin Ducaru |Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, NATO|
Mr. Augustin Jianu |Minister of Communications, Romania|
Mrs. Melissa Hathaway |former director of the Joint Interagency Cyber Task Force at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence during the George W. Bush Administration, USA|
Mr. Anton Rog |Head of the National Cyberint Center, the Romanian Intelligence Service, Romania|
Mr. Tal Pavel |research fellow, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Israel|
Panel III a – Energy security: a common issue in the Balkans and the Black Sea (Chatham House rules)
Chair – Mr. Dan Petre |director of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute|
Mr. Theodoros Tsakiris, |research fellow at Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Greece|
Mrs. Mariana Gheorghe |CEO OMV Petrom, Romania|
Ms. Gulmira Rzayeva |senior research fellow at Strateji Arasdimalar Merkezi (SAM), Azerbaijan|
Ms. Natalia Shatirishvili |lead researcher, World Experience for Georgia (WEG), Georgia|
Panel III b –The Balkans and the Black Sea area: confrontation region for the information war (Chatham House rules)
Chair – Mr. Dan Dima |member of the Scientific Council of the New Strategy Center|
Colonel Aivar Jaeski |deputy Director of NATO Center of Excellence STRATCOM Riga, Latvia|
Mr. Dan Mihalache |ambassador of Romania to UK, Romania|
Mr. Yevhen Mahda |associate professor Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine|
Mr. Iulian Chifu |president of CPC EW, Bucharest, Romania|
Mr. Igor Munteanu |president 0f IDIS “Viitorul”, Republic of Moldova|
Ms. Milena Bešić |executive director of CEDEM – Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Montenegro|