WHY THE BELGRADE STRATEGIC DIALOGUE?

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In the 20th century, Belgrade was the setting of large-scale armed conflicts, but also a city of a momentous international dialogue. The fact that Belgrade hosted the First Summit of the Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries in 1961, as well as the second session of the CSCE (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe) from October 1977 to March 1978, has been shadowed by the horrors of wars that the city suffered during two global conflicts, as well as during the 1999 NATO bombing campaign. It is precisely such a historical experience that has taught Belgrade to be astutely aware of the price of war and the value of peace and stability which can be only achieved through an open discussion between relevant international representatives at all levels. 

 

In the more recent time, since 2012, Belgrade has hosted several important international meetings, such as the 22nd OSCE Ministerial Council in 2015 and Third Summit of the Heads of Government held between the People's Republic of China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, thus once again reaffirming its role as a geopolitical hub and a productive meeting point between the East and West. Not only that, Belgrade is the principal pillar of regional stability in the Southeast Europe today, a promoter of military neutrality and one of the junctions where the Chinese "Silk Road" intersects with European corridors.

 

Keenly aware of the need to overcome the mistrust felt among the key political, security and social actors in the international arena, the “Belgrade Strategic Dialogue” has been conceived with an intention to provide even a modest contribution to overcoming the current situation by offering a neutral platform for holding a dialogue on the foremost regional, European and global challenges.

 

The first conference of the "Belgrade Strategic Dialogue" will be held on 29 June 2017, organized by the BSD Foundation.

 

Although Belgrade has hosted several events on strategic issues over the recent years, this will probably be the first time that our city will welcome such a significant number of participants who, instead of being absorbed in a collective monologue, would engage in a genuine dialogue, testing their dissenting views on some of the most pressing regional, European and global political issues.