Central and Eastern Europe Strategy Summit

Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia is pleased to present the inaugural Central and Eastern Europe Strategy Summit, featuring senior officials from the Bucharest Nine states of Eastern Europe as well as Ukraine and Moldova.

Taking place just one week after the Bucharest Three Seas Initiative summit and two months after the Vilnius NATO summit, this gathering is an opportunity to take stock of events in the region and to preview High-Level Week at the United Nations General Assembly.

Hudson strongly believes that Europe’s significance extends beyond Berlin and that Central and Eastern European voices deserve more attention. Yet an in-person gathering of representatives from Central and Eastern Europe has not taken place in Washington for some time.

Over the course of three panels, this Summit will assess the war in Ukraine, survey the region’s remarkable economic performance, and evaluate geopolitical challenges from the Central and Eastern European perspective.

Agenda

9:00–9:55 a.m.: Registration and Breakfast

9:55–10:00 a.m.: Welcome Address

• Mr. John P. Walters, President and CEO, Hudson Institute

10:00–11:15 a.m.: Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of Central and Eastern Europe (I)

Panelists:

• Mr. Jaroslav Kurfürst, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
• Mr. Witold Sobków, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland
• Mr. Michal Pavúk, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic
• Ms. Kyllike Sillaste-Elling, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
• Mr. Andzejs Vilumsons, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia

Moderator:

• Ms. Rebeccah Heinrichs, Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative, Hudson Institute

11:15–11:30 a.m.: Coffee Break

11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.: Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of Central and Eastern Europe (II)

Panelists:

• Mr. Sebastian Mitrache, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
• Ms. Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
• Mr. Zsolt Bunford, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
• Ms. Ekaterina Zaharieva, Vice Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and Former Foreign Minister of Bulgaria (2017–2021)

Moderator:

• Mr. Matt Boyse, Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute

12:45–1:00 p.m.: Coffee Break

1:00–2:00 p.m.: The View from Kyiv and Chișinău (Luncheon)

Panelists:

• Ms. Liubov Nepop, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
• Ms. Cristina Gherasimov, Senior Advisor on Foreign Policy and European Integration to the President of the Republic of Moldova

Moderator:

• Mr. Luke Coffey, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

2:00–2:10 p.m.: Closing Remarks