{"id":20074,"date":"2022-01-26T10:41:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T10:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idscs.org.mk\/?p=20074"},"modified":"2022-07-28T08:32:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T08:32:23","slug":"sfpa-and-idscs-coordinated-a-study-visit-in-bratislava-as-part-of-the-think-balkans-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idscs.org.mk\/en\/2022\/01\/26\/sfpa-and-idscs-coordinated-a-study-visit-in-bratislava-as-part-of-the-think-balkans-project\/","title":{"rendered":"SFPA and IDSCS coordinated a study visit in Bratislava as part of the Think Balkans project"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of the \u2018Cooperation Instrument for the Western Balkans Think Tanks \u2013 THINK BALKANS\u2019 project, between 17 and 21 January in Bratislava, RC SFPA \u2013 Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association and IDSCS \u2013 Institute for Democracy \u201cSocietas Civilis\u201c coordinated the on-site study visit for the representatives of the WB6 Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) and the Western Balkans (WB6) researchers to the Visegrad Group (V4) capitals.<\/p>\n

MFAs representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo* together with researchers from Albania (AIIS), North Macedonia (IDSCS) and Serbia (EminS) and their local V4 think tank host SFPA attended meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Slovak Republic (MFA SR), International Visegrad Fund (IVF), Think Visegrad representatives and members of think tank community.<\/p>\n

The study visit was an opportunity for the WB6 MFAs representatives to meet and discuss the future establishment and the way-forward in the Think Balkans project. The purpose of this study visit to enable a discussion between the MFAs representatives on Think Balkans future political and financial support through International Visegrad Fund and Western Balkans Fund, necessary for the official establishment of the permanent mechanism for cooperation between WB6 expert community and WB6 MFAs. During the meetings, the participants and hosts of the study visit also presented the achieved goals and the implemented activities.<\/p>\n

The participants met with Tom\u00e1\u0161 Str\u00e1\u017eay<\/em>, Director of SFPA, the lead organization in the Think Visegrad Platform, Petr Mare\u0161,<\/em> Director of IVF and Marianna Neupauerov\u00e1,<\/em> Deputy Director of IVF. Furthermore, they have discussed the project with public officials of the SR, including Eduard Kukan<\/em>, former MEP and former UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Balkans SFPA, Vladim\u00edr Bartovic<\/em>, representaive of the Office of the President of the SR and former coordinator of the Think Visegrad platform in the Czech Republic, Peter Kadvan<\/em>, representative of the MFA SR from the 4th Territorial Department (WB + Turkey), Gabriel Sz\u00f6ke,<\/em> National Visegrad Coordinator from the MFA SR 2nd Territorial Department (V4\/CE),\u00a0 Michal Hru\u0161\u00edk from the MFA SR Department of Analysis and Planning and Ingrid Brockov\u00e1, State Secretary of the MFA SR. Additionally, they have been welcomed by Vladim\u00edr Bil\u010d\u00edk, MEP and Rapporteur for Serbia and Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee. Finally, they had the oppotunity to discuss the civil sector impact with the representatives from the think tank community Vladislava Gubalova<\/em> from Globsec, J\u00e1n Cingel, the founder and CEO of Strategic Analysis and Andrea Najvirtova, Director of People in Need.<\/p>\n

This study visit was the third of the four study visits in the Visegrad Group capitals. The final study visit will happen in Warsaw (25-29 January).<\/p>\n

This project is financially supported by the\u00a0International Visegrad Fund<\/a>\u00a0and implemented by IDSCS in coordination with the partners\u00a0European Movement in Serbia (EMinS)<\/a>,\u00a0Platforma CiviKos<\/a>\u00a0from Kosovo*,\u00a0Politikon Network<\/a>\u00a0from Montenegro,\u00a0Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS)<\/a>\u00a0from Albania,\u00a0Humanity in Action<\/a>\u00a0from Bosnia and Herzegovina,\u00a0Centre for European Perspective (CEP)<\/a>\u00a0from Slovenia,\u00a0Centre for Eastern Studies from Poland (OSW)<\/a>,\u00a0Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade from Hungary (IFAT)<\/a>, the\u00a0Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA)<\/a>\u00a0from Slovakia, and\u00a0EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy (EUROPEUM)<\/a>\u00a0from the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n

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*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.<\/p>\n

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