Bucharest Forum 2018

When East Meets West: Collision, Collusion or Cooperation?

Bucharest Forum is an annual high-level event organized by the Aspen
Institute Romania and the Bucharest office of the German Marshall
Fund of the US. Since its inception in 2012, the mission of the
Bucharest Forum is to create a regional platform for forward thinking
on economic and security policies and for promoting political dialogue
between governments and the civil society.
Bucharest Forum offers a unique opportunity for high level East-West
conversation in a global transformative context. Specifically it
facilitates an in-depth understanding of how the developments on the
Eurasian nexus shape decisions for Europe and the Transatlantic link.
The seventh edition of the Bucharest Forum takes place between 8 –
10 October, 2018, at critical times for the region and Europe.
The current international context is in flux, as on both shores of the
Atlantic national politics is driven by new agendas and discourses,
imprinting a consequent dynamics to international relations, and
affecting economic trends at national, regional and international
levels. Brought to the fore by grievances of a plurality of citizens who
feel left out of mainstream politics and economy, the new political
trend and its economic philosophy are generating antagonistic
approaches and actions of various actors, leading to numerous clashes
of interest, intention and outcomes. Indeed, the main feature of the
current context is the numerous clashes being either in incubation
phase or out in the open.
By bringing together leading politicians, thinkers, journalists, and
business representatives, Bucharest Forum offers a platform for the
various actors to meet and discuss their interests, approaches and
goals, analyze potential and existing clashes, their implications and
results, and look for ways to maximize the potential benefits of
diverging views and mitigate the consequent negative impact.
Preliminary Agenda
In the opening of the Bucharest Forum 2018, on October 8, AIR
and GMF organize the Young Strategic Leaders Forum – Generation
Next, a platform for discussion and a work group dedicated to young
promising professionals of the Aspen and GMF Fellows and Alumni
communities. The forum is designed to encourage strategic thinking
and critical analysis, along with a better awareness on the current
state of affairs and to strengthen the capacity of emerging leaders to
understand multifaceted contexts, inspiring them to produce change.
October 8
Young Strategic Leaders Forum – Generation Next
(open to AIR&GMF community)
Location: Mitita Constantinescu Room, National Bank of Romania
13:00 – 13:45 Welcome & Registration
13:45 – 14:00 Welcome Remarks and Introduction
• Mircea Geoana, President, Aspen Institute Romania
14:00 – 14:20 The challenges of multipolarity: United States, Europe,
China
• Dominique de Villepin, Former Prime Minister of France
14:20 – 15:00 Q&A Session
15:00 – 15:15 Coffee Break
19:00- 21:00 Opening Cocktail Reception (by invitation only)

October 9
Location: Marble Hall, Palace of the National Military Circle
8:30 – 9:00 Welcome & Registration
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome Remarks and Introductions
• Mircea Geoana, President, Aspen Institute Romania
9:15 – 9:30 Keynote address
• Viorica Dancila, Prime Minister, Government of Romania
Setting the Stage – The rise of (Eur)Asia and the West: Collision,
Collusion or Cooperation?
9:30 – 10:30 Cores and Peripheries in Europe: Is There a Future for the
European Project?
The European project faces internal and external pressures and is in
need to be adapted to both unexpected and predicted changes,
demands and developmental trends. One of the most visible, if not the
most important, rift within the Union is between core and periphery,
both geographically, strategically and economically. Will this rift,
together with the other forces, put an end to the project? Or can it be
channeled towards increased coherence and further development?
• Baroness Denise Kingsmill CBE, Member of the House of Lords,
Chair, Aspen Initiative UK
• Franco Frattini, President, Italian Society for International
Organizations and Special Representative of the OSCE, Chairperson-in-
Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process
• Jean-François Copé, Former Minister of the Budget, Mayor of
Meaux, Lawyer at the Paris Bar
Moderator: Andrew Wrobel, Head of Editorial, Emerging Europe
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:00 America and Europe: Friends or Foes?
Never in the recent past has the Transatlantic relation been so
threatened, and the two long term partners as divided, as today. A
war of trade, words and actions divides the two sides of the Atlantic
ocean, while the interests are, in fact, as convergent as ever. Will the
two sides be able to rebuild the bridges? How many of these bridges
will be burnt before? And is it, in a twisted way, the current cold
relation a blessing in disguise for Europe?
• Molly Montgomery, Vice President, Albright Stonebridge Group and
Former Special Adviser for Europe and Russia, Office of US Vice
President
• Ivan Hodac, President, Aspen Institute Central Europe
• Jean-Christophe Bas, CEO, Dialogue of Civilizations Institute (Berlin)
and Member of the Executive Board, Aspen Institute France
Moderator: Andrea Shalal, Senior Correspondent, Reuters
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00 – 14:00 A New Stage in the Rise of Asia? BRI and the Indo-Pacific
Community
Asia has been considered ‘The New Global Center of Gravity’ for some
time, and particularly so due to its Southern and South-Eastern tiers,
which are home to the world’s fastest-growing economies. One could
say these areas also hold the key to global security – hence initiatives
of global players greatly interested in regional leadership. Who will
provide regional leadership and contribute to new norms and rules in
the coming decades? What are the main challenges of this regional
order in the making and what are its implications for Europe?
• Viorel Isticioaia-Budura, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Romania and Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the European Union to Japan, European External Action Service
• Alexander Downer, Executive Chair at International School for
Government, King’s College London and Former Minister for Foreign
Affairs of the Australian Government
• Shotaro Oshima, Chairman at the Institute for International
Economic Studies and Former Permanent Representative of Japan to
the World Trade Organization, 2002 – 2005
• Yuli Liu, Counselor from the European Affairs Department, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China
Moderator: Doru Costea, Member, Aspen Institute Romania Strategy
Group, Former Ambassador of Romania to the People’s Republic of
China
Setting the stage: Mega-trends Shaping Societies, Business and
Politics
The world has become the scene of rapid changes and sudden
developments, powered by the advancement of technology, yet (still)
confused by a clash of cultures and civilizations. Business, politics and
societies are large are all impacted and transformed in ways hard to
imagine only decades ago, and further transformation awaits down
the road. What are the trends that shape this transformation? Should
we be afraid and fight (some of) them, or should we embrace the
transformation and fuel further progress?
14:00 – 14:15 Setting the stage
• Stefan-Radu Oprea, Minister for Business Environment, Commerce
and Entrepreneurship, Government of Romania
14:15 – 15:15 Moonshot #1: Metropolis – Big Cities: The Economics of
the New Urban Era
Under the pressure of changes in the workforce, technological
advancements and societal transformation, big cities (should)
undergo a transformation of their own. A new urban era is taking
shape, driven by demands and needs, but also forward thinking and
innovation. What is the impact of these factors on big cities? How are
they adapting?
Introductory Remarks
• Bogdan Cojocaru, Minister of Communications and Information
Society, Government of Romania
• Philippe Delleur, Senior Vice-President Public Affairs, Alstom
• Cristian Nacu, Senior Country Officer for Romania and Moldova,
International Finance Corporation
• Simona Neumann, CEO, Timisoara 2021 – European Capital of
Culture
• Dan Barna, President, Save Romania Union
• Adrian Curaj, Former Minister of Education, Science and Innovation
of Romania
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large for The
Atlantic & editor of Atlantic Live
15:15 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 16:30 The Russia Factor – the Big Spoiler or a G8 Player?
Ten years ago Russia re-entered the world scene as an aggressive
player with international ambitions, a posture it has retained and
strengthened throughout the decade. Despite violations of
international treaties and general disregard of international law,
Russia is not seen as a foe by all other players, and there are
numerous voices that ask for a more positive attitude towards Russia
– ranging from easing the sanctions to bringing it back to the G8
group. Is Russia strong and important enough to be a G8 player? And
if so, is it reliable enough? How much (more) damage can Russia do?
• Cyryl Kozaczewski, Political Director, former Ambassador to Japan,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
• Oksana Antonenko, Director for Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks
consultancy
• Vladimir Socor, Expert in the ex-sovietic territory, Senior Fellow,
Jamestown Foundation
• Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Kyiv
• Irina Zidaru, Minister Counselor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Romania
Moderator: Wojciech Przybylski, Editor-in-Chief, Visegrad Insight
16:30 – 17:45 Moonshot #2: Conversation on Women in Global
Governance: Progress and Challenges
• Baroness Denise Kingsmill CBE, Member of the House of Lords,
Chair, Aspen Initiative UK
• Lolwah Rashid Al Khater, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the State of Qatar
• Arielle Malard de Rothschild, MD & Vice-Chairman for Central and
Eastern Europe, Rothschild Global Advisory
• Simona Bot, M.D., Consulting Scientist, Multicell Technologies, Vice
President Community Outreach, West Coast, Blue Heron Foundation
• Amal Mohammed Al-Malki, Founding Dean, College of Humanities
and Social Sciences, Hamad bin Khalifa University
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large for The
Atlantic & editor of Atlantic Live
19.00 – Power Dinner (by invitation only)
Human Kind – The Next Frontier
“The most amazing thing about the future won’t be the spaceships,
but the beings flying them.” Y.N.Harari
Aspen Dialogue – A conversation with:
• Adrian Bot, M.D. Ph.D., Vice President, Translational Medicine Kite,
a Gilead Company
• Virgil Adumitroaie, Data Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA
Moderator: Samuel Burke, Business and Technology Correspondent,
CNN
20:45 – Night Owl Sessions (Chatham House format)
Europe’s Unfinished Businesses
I. The Black Sea Area and its raising challenges
Location: Enescu II Room, Athenee Palace Hilton
The Black Sea area remains the scene of confronting geopolitical and
military confrontation, while host of countries weakened by internal
corruption, poor governance and conflicts. Closeness to Transatlantic
and European institutions has brought about improvements and
modernization, yet political developments are slow and painful.
Russia and China have both major interests in the region, albeit
different in nature and scope. Will the paradigm of the region ever
change? And what would it take?
• Vladimir Socor, Expert in the ex-sovietic territory, Senior Fellow,
Jamestown Foundation
• Alexander Iskandaryan, Director, Caucasus Institute think-tank
Moderator: Larisa Rotaru Baltag, Program Coordinator, Bucharest
Office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States
II. The Balkans today
Location: Enescu III Room, Athenee Palace Hilton
The Balkans remain a region divided by conflicts, fueled by both
ethnicity, economic interests and geopolitical games. External actors
have major influence in the region, as a whole, and in individual
countries. Transatlantic and European institutions are only very slowly
advancing in the region, which remains, overall, potentially explosive.
How can the region become peaceful and stable, and how can positive
political developments be brought about?
• Natasha Vučković, Secretary General, Center for Democracy
Foundation, Serbia
• Alida Vračić, Director and Co-founder, Pupulari Think Tank, Bosnia
Moderator: Cristina Cileacu, Journalist, Digi24
III. The Middle East in Turmoil
Location: Vivaldi I Room, Athenee Palace Hilton
• Oytun Orhan, Coordinator, Syria Studies Center for Eurasian
Strategic Studies Turkey
• Lolwah Rashid Al Khater, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the State of Qatar
Moderator: Doru Costea, Member, Aspen Institute Romania Strategy
Group, Former Ambassador of Romania to the People’s Republic of
China
October 10
Location: Marble Hall, Palace of the National Military Circle
8:30 – 9:00 Welcome & Registration
9:00 – 9:30 Conversation with:
• H.E. Teodor Melescanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of
Romania
• Mihai Fifor, Minister of National Defense, Government of Romania
Moderator: Radu Tudor, Political and Defense Analyst
Setting the stage: The World at Crossroads
9:30 – 10:45 The European Security Vortex
The architecture that has ensured the European Security for the past
73 years is challenged by external actors, a weak Transatlantic
relation, technological advancements and an expansion of military to
hybrid warfare. What is the best way to address all these challenges
and ensure the European security? How divisive is the issue to the
European projects, and how threatening are the other divisive aspects
of the project to European security?
Introductory Remarks
• Nicolae Ciuca, Chief of the Romanian General Staff, Ministry of
National Defence
• Constantin Ionescu, State Adviser, Head of the Integrated
Intelligence Office, Presidential Administration
• George Ciamba, Secretary of State for Bilateral and Strategic Affairs
for the Euro-Atlantic Area, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
• Sorin Ducaru, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Special Advisor,
Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace
• Marta Dassu, Senior Director of European Affairs at The Aspen
Institute and Co-chair at the Aspen Initiative for Europe
• Fraser Cameron, Director, Board Member, EU – Asia Centre
Moderator: Radu Tudor, Political and Defense Analyst
10:45 -11:00 Coffee Break
Setting the stage: (De)globalization and Geo-economics
11:00 – 12:00 Moonshot #3: Technology Shaping Societies and
Economies
This panel analyzes digital disruption and the Industry 4.0 world,
looking at the effects of global trends such as artificial intelligence,
the Internet of Things, as well as automation and data exchange in
manufacturing, from both a societal and economic point of view. A
key focus will be placed on the opportunities and challenges that
innovation pose for businesses and policy-makers globally, in the EU
and in Romania.
• Tyson Barker, Program Director, Aspen Institute Germany
• Adrian Bot, M.D. Ph.D., Vice President, Translational Medicine Kite,
a Gilead Company
• Virgil Adumitroaie, Data Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA
• Bogdan Balaci, General Manager South East Europe, Signify
Moderator: Samuel Burke, Business and Technology Correspondent,
CNN
12:00- 13:00 Trade Wars in the Era of Great Disruption
What scale for trade wars in the current interconnected world? How
much of a threat represent trade wars today and is there any role for
technological development in securing markets across the globe?
Which perspective for both emerging and developed markets?
• Ivan Hodac, President, Aspen Institute Central Europe
• Shotaro Oshima, Chairman at the Institute for International
Economic Studies and Former Permanent Representative of Japan to
the World Trade Organization, 2002 – 2005
• Guido Gianasso, Associate Dean and Professor in Global Leadership,
Nanyang Business School, Singapore
• Antal Lóránt, Senator, Parliament of Romania
Moderator: Roxana Voicu-Dorobantu, Associate Professor, Bucharest
University of Economic Studies (ASE)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:15 Financing in the New Economy
New economy is a generally describing high-growth industries that
are on the cutting edge of technology and are the driving force of
economic growth today. It is generally seen as a shift from a
manufacturing and commodity based economy to one that uses
technology to create new products and services. While the term „new
economy” keeps popping up since the early ’90, there is an argument
to be made in favour of current developments. On one hand, there is
an increase in the use of disruptive technologies in economic sectors,
and innovative solutions for financing are clearly paramount in this
overall context. On the other hand, the institutional and regulatory
are increasingly responsive to these new developments, and whether
they are adequate or not, it is clearer than ever that the dialogue
between the financing sector and the European and national
regulators has to take place in a meaningful, considerate manner.
• Matteo Patrone, Director for Romania, European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development
• Steven van Groningen, CEO & President, Raiffeisen Bank Romania,
Member of the Board, Aspen Institute Romania
• Joana Sanchez Klosinska, Director Public Policy, Europe and
Responsible for Government Relations and Public Policy in CEE,
Greece Cyprus and Malta, Mastercard
• Florin Dragu, Chief of Service, Department of Financial Stability,
National Bank of Romania
Moderator: Clara Volintiru, Associate Professor in the Department of
International Business and Economics (REI), Bucharest University of
Economic Studies (ASE)
15:15 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30-16:00 From Challenges to Opportunities: Romanian Presidency
to the EU Council, a conversation with Victor Negrescu, Minister
Delegate for European Affairs and Samuel Burke, CNN
2019 is the year of Brexit and of a new round of European elections.
Romania will hold the Presidency of the European Union Council
through these events, and will also inherit a number of difficult files.
What are the opportunities of the first six months of next year? What
can Romania hope for, and what can it accomplish? What can be
inherited from previous presidencies, and what can be suggested
further?
16:30 – 16:45 Closing Remarks
Virgil Adumitroaie

SPEAKER

Virgil Adumitroaie is a Data Scientist at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, where at
present time he develops outer planetary environment models and radiation monitoring tools for the
Juno Mission and performs atmospheric composition retrievals for Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
He received his Ph. D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University at Buffalo in 1997, for
research completed in simulation and modeling of high-speed turbulent reacting flows. Prior to joining
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Senior Member of Technical Staff in 2004, and University of Southern
California as Adjunct Lecturer in 2006, Dr. Adumitroaie served for six years as a Senior Engineer at the
CFD Research Corporation, Huntsville, AL.
At JPL, his work in optimization methods and uncertainty analysis applied to decision problems
supported tasks from the JPL’s Strategic Technologies Program Office, and he was part of the Sounder
PEATE software development team in the Suomi NPP project. During his career, Dr. Adumitroaie has
delivered solutions in turbulent combustion modeling, data dimension reduction, neural networks,
signaling pathways, experimental robotics and scientific software frameworks. He has published papers
and technical reports on advanced modeling of compressible flows, direct numerical simulations and
large eddy simulations (LES) of chemically reacting flows, magnetohydrodynamics, decision support for
technology portfolio investments, and outer planetary atmospheric and magnetospheric modeling.
H.E. Lolwah R M Al-Khate

SPEAKER

Her Excellency, Lolwah R M Al-Khater was appointed as the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the State of Qatar as per His Excellency, Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs’ Decision number 43 for the Year of 2017. Before her
appointment as the Spokesperson, HE Lolwah joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Minister
Plenipotentiary. She also served as the Director of Planning and Quality at Qatar Tourism Authority and
as a Research Project Manager at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community
Development.

Besides the official capacity, HE. Al-khater has been working as an Independent Policy Analyst
participating in conferences and multiple publications, and she is the co-editor of “Policy-making in a
Transformative State: the case of Qatar”, a book published by Palgrave Macmillan. Al-Khater also wrote
a book titled “Educational Outputs and Labor Market Needs: A study on Labor Market Issues and
methods of Addressing Them” and was published through the General Secretariat of the Gulf
Cooperation Council.

Moreover, Lolwah worked as a part-time lecturer at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and she is a
Research Associate at The Oxford Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Forum at St. Antony’s College at the
University of Oxford. HE. Al-Khater is also a board member at The Institute for Palestine Studies.

Lolwah holds a Master’s of Science in Computing and a Master’s of Arts in Public Policy and she is a
Dphil Candidate at the University of Oxford in the area of Oriental Studies looking at the question of
Islam and Modernity in the context of the Arab Nahda.
Dr. Amal Mohammed Al-Malki

SPEAKER

Dr. Amal Mohammed Al-Malki is the Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at
Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the
Translation and Interpreting Institute, which she founded in 2011. She also was an Associate Professor
at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar where she taught courses in writing composition, postcolonial
literature, theories of translation and Islamic feminism. Dr. Al-Malki holds a PhD in Comparative
Literature from the University of London-SOAS, where she also earned a Master Degree in English-Arabic
Applied Linguistics and Translation.

Dr. Al-Malki’s research interests include the negotiation of identity between East and West, media
representations of Arab women and postcolonial literature. She has published numerous articles in
academic journals in the United States and UK. Her book, Arab Women in Arab News: Old Stereotypes
and New Media (2012) is published by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation and Bloomsbury Academic, UK. It
was lauded as the first comprehensive study of the topic in the world. She also edited The Writer’s Craft:
Teaching Creative Writing in Qatar, published as a part an initiative honoring Doha as the Arab Capital of
Culture in 2010.

Dr. Al-Malki is a sought-after public speaker and social commentator. She has been invited to speak at
conferences and forums throughout the Middle East, United States and UK. She was the first Arab and
Muslim to be invited as a Keynote Speaker at City University in New York after 9/11. She was also the
first Qatari to be invited to address the Cheltenham Literature Festival. She has lectured at Durham
University, SOAS and Maryland University among others. Focusing on women’s rights and Arab identity,
Dr. Al-Malki strives to help deepen international understanding of Qatar and its evolving place in the
world.
Steve Clemons

SPEAKER & MODERATOR

Steve Clemons is Washington editor at large for The Atlantic and editor in chief of AtlanticLIVE. He is a
national security and foreign policy contributor to MSNBC and a senior fellow at New America, where he
founded the American Strategy Program and was executive vice president until 2011. Previously,
Clemons was executive vice president of the Economic Strategy Institute, senior policy advisor on
economic and international affairs to former senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and executive director of
the Nixon Center. He is a member of the World Economic Forum Council on Geopolitical Risk and serves
on the board of Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

Bogdan Balaci

MEMBER

Bogdan Balaci holds the position of General Manager for Philips Lighting SEE that became
globally Signify in May 2018, being responsible for developing and implementing the company strategy
in Romania and in other 10 countries in South Eastern Europe. One of his major objectives is to
consolidate at the local level the company’s position as the leading company in lighting for the IoT and
transforming the lighting industry thru an innovative vision for both, professional and consumer markets.

With more than 20 years of experience in the IT sector and other related industries, Bogdan is highly
specialized in strategic and operational business development, as well as in the management of
corporations, teams and complex organizational projects. Bogdan was formerly the CEO of the cloud
solutions broker Ymens, part of the Teamnet Group, one of the leading IT&C Romanian integrators and
member of Teamnet executive & board team. Until October 2012, Bogdan was the general manager of
IBM Romania overseeing the company operations for Romania and Moldova.

Founded as Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in
lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. We provide high-quality
lighting products, systems and services for more than 125 years and have a simple clear purpose to
unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world
Our Philips products, Interactconnected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business
value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2017 sales of EUR 7.0 billion, we
have approximately 30,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries.

Tyson Barker

SPEAKER

Tyson Barker is Program Director and Fellow at the Aspen Institute Germany. Barker comes to Aspen
from the Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security (BIGS) where he worked on transatlantic cyber
security policy. Prior to that, he served as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs at the US State Department in Washington, D.C. from 2014 to 2015. Prior to joining
State, he worked for 6 years at the Bertelsmann Foundation, most recently as the Director for Trans-
Atlantic Relations where his portfolio included the European-American economic relationship, US-EU
cooperation, the Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI) and tracking rising political leaders
in the US and Europe. He has written for numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic including
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, the Atlantic, National Interest and Spiegel.

Barker was a Fulbright scholar in Austria; a Truman National Security Project Fellow; a recipient of the
Taiwan Cultural Exchange Fellowship and a Starr Foundation grant to conduct research on Sino-
European relations. Barker has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s degree
from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In addition to his
native English, he speaks fluent German and Spanish.
Dan Barna

SPEAKER

Dan Barna is the president of the political party Union Save Romania (USR), deputy on behalf of USR in
the Romanian Parliament, vice president of the Foreign Policy Committee and member of the European
Affairs Committee in the Chamber of Deputies.

Dan Barna has a significant professional experience as an International Certified Trainer, European
Funding Consultant and for six months he was State Secretary in the Ministry for European Funds.

Between 2001 and 2007, he was a consultant of the European Commission Representation in Romania,
being directly involved as an assessor, monitor or technical assistant in over 400 projects. During 2005
and 2007 he was the National Coordinator of the Public Information Campaigns of the European
Commission Funding Program.

In 2007, Dan Barna was one of the founders of the Structural Consulting Group – www.fonduri-
structurale.ro, a company he has managed for 10 years, during which the website [http://www.fonduri-
structurale.ro<http://www.fonduri-structurale.ro]www.fonduri-structurale.ro<http://www.fonduri-
structurale.ro> has become the leader of public information sources on European funding. During this
period he contributed as an expert to the implementation of 12 projects funded by the European Social
Fund.

As of May 2016, Dan Barna was part of the Dacian Cioloș Government as State Secretary at the Ministry
of European Funds, position from which he coordinated the final reporting and closure of the 2007-2013
funding period, the Ministry’s relationship with the Parliament as well as part of the launching calls for
projects for the new 2014-2020 period.

In october 2016 Dan Barna joined the Union Save Romania party and in december 2016 he was a
candidate at the parliamentary elections on behalf of USR representing Sibiu county and won a seat in
the Chamber of Deputies.
Adrian Bot

SPEAKER

Adrian Bot, M.D., Ph.D. is the Vice President of Translational Medicine at Kite, a Gilead Company. Kite is
a biotechnology company which developed a first generation gene therapy for cancer, based in Los
Angeles, CA. He has more than 20 years of experience in biomedical research and development. Dr. Bot
obtained his M.D. at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara – Romania and his Ph.D. in
Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Subsequently, he was a Guest
Scientist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and Scientist, Principal Scientist and Director of
Immunology Research at Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. in San Diego. In Nov 2002, Dr. Bot joined
Allecure Pharmaceuticals which became MannKind Corp, where he was a Director of Research and
Development. He had several other appointments at MannKind: Senior Director of Translational
Medicine, Vice President of Scientific Management and Vice President of Research, prior to the
appointment as Chief Scientific Officer and then Vice President of Translational Medicine at Kite. Dr. Bot
has several patents in the field, more than 150 congress abstracts and publications to date, has served
or is serving on editorial boards and leading organizations such as the Society of Immunotherapy for
Cancer.
Simona Bot

SPEAKER

Simona Bot was born and raised in Romania. She graduated University of Medicine and Pharmacy,
Timisoara, Romania, with M.D. degree in September 1993. She emigrated in USA after graduating
medical school and she lived there for the last 25 years with her husband and three daughters.

Simona held Research Scientist positions at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, Department of
Microbiology and at Alliance Pharmaceutical Company, San Diego, CA. From 2003, she worked as a
Consultant Scientist at Multicell Therapeutics and other biotech companies.

Simona worked on the characterization of the immune response against influenza virus and evaluation
of DNA vaccines against influenza virus, evaluation of novel synthetic RNA based immune modulating
agents, testing novel aerosol microparticles for pulmonary delivery of biomolecules, treatment of
autoimmune diseases in preclinical models, using novel immune interventions.

Simona has many peer reviews published articles, presented at international conferences and
congresses and has one approved patent (Methods and formulations to achieve tumor targeted double
stranded RNA mediated cell death).

Simona has always been passionate about helping others, and in 2011 when she met Stefania Magidson,
founder of Blue Heron Foundation, it was only natural for her to begin working as a mentor for Blue
Heron Foundation. Since then, she has taken on an increasingly active role in advocating, recruiting, and
fundraising for the foundation.

Since January 2018, Simona serves on the Executive Team at Blue Heron Foundation as the Vice
President, Community Outreach, West Coast, USA.
Samuel Burke

SPEAKER

Samuel Burke is a business and technology correspondent for CNNMoney based in London. In addition,
Burke serves as a news anchor and producer for CNN en Español’s Cibercafé. He’s reported from the
scene of major world events like the London parliament terrorist attack. Previously, he anchored
‘iReport’ and ‘Europa Hoy.’ Burke covers major international technology events and has interviewed the
heads of the world’s largest companies like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella,
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, T-Mobile CEO John Legere, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Ford CEO Mark Fields,
TransferWise CEO Taavet Hinrikus, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, as well as heads of state like Former
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
He started his career at CNN as an intern for Anderson Cooper 360° and then served as Christiane
Amanpour’s digital and field producer. Alongside Amanpour, he travelled across the Middle East
producing reports and live broadcasts from Egypt during the country’s first-ever democratic elections,
Israel and the Palestinian territories. Prior to joining CNN, Burke was a freelance producer for Phoenix’s
NPR affiliate KJZZ and ABC News’ 20/20 program.
Burke studied Spanish linguistics at La Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico and graduated
summa cum laude from the Barrett Honors College and Arizona State University. He received his
master’s degree in journalism from The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, and now serves on the
Cronkite School National Board of Advisors.
Fraser Cameron

SPEAKER

Fraser Cameron is Director of the EU-Asia Centre in Brussels.

He is a former European Commission advisor and well known policy analyst and commentator on EU
and international affairs. He is visiting professor at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, St
Andrews University, the University of Auckland, the University of Xi’an, and Senior Advisor to the
European Policy Centre (EPC).

Dr Cameron was educated at the Universities of St Andrews (MA) and Cambridge (PhD). He was a
Research Fellow at the University of Hamburg (1973-74) and a Lecturer in International Relations at the
University of Kent (1974-75). From 1975 89, he was a member of the British Diplomatic Service serving
mainly in Germany, and covering economic, political and press affairs. He joined the European
Commission in 1990, as an advisor in external relations, and was closely involved in enlargement,
transatlantic relations, the Balkans, Asia and global governance. He was Political Counsellor in the EU
delegation in Washington DC from 1999-2001.

Dr Cameron has lectured widely to business, academic and media audiences around the world. He is
also a consultant to the BBC and a number of governments on EU affairs. He is the author of several
books and articles on the EU and external relations. His recent books include An Introduction to
European Foreign Policy, The Future of Europe and US Foreign Policy after the Cold War (published by
Routledge).
He is also an experienced moderator of international events having chaired the Asia Europe Business
Forum for several years, several EU human rights dialogues, business conferences, and think tank and
academic conferences.

Cristina Cileacu

MODERATOR

Cristina Cileacu is a journalist working for Digi24 news channel. She produces “Paşaport diplomatic”
(Diplomatic Passport), a unique weekly program on diplomacy and foreign policy. Important world
leaders were guests of “Paşaport diplomatic” over the last four years: Benjamin Netanyahu, Mahmoud
Abbas, Mehmet Simsek, Viktor Orban, Sergei Naryshkin, Giorgi Margvelashvili, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
(Croatia), Abdullah Gul (Turkey) and Jens Stoltenberg (NATO Secretary General), just to mention a few.
Cristina Cileacu has a keen interest for the Middle East, Turkey, Russia and Caucasus. She reported often
from and about issues related to this areas. Conflict zones are also part of her interests, reporting from
Gaza during Israeli-Hamas conflict in 2014 was a journalistic experience to remember. The situation of
the refugees is another issue that appears often in “Paşaport diplomatic”, since the war in Syria broke.
Graduated from the University of Bucharest, she has worked for about 18 years as a Bucharest-based
journalist for various national and international televisions.
Jean-François Copé

SPEAKER

Former Seine-et-Marne’s MP, Jean-François Copé was also a member of government under President
Chirac from 2002 to 2007, notably the Spokesperson of the Government, the delegate Minister of the
Interior and the Minister of the Budget. He became the Head of the Parliamentary majority in 2007 and
then the President of the UMP’s party, main French conservative party (2012-2014). He graduated from
Sciences Po and ENA. Currently, he is the Mayor of Meaux and a lawyer at Stehlin office.

Doru Costea

SPEAKER

Doru Costea (b. 1953) was with Romania’s MFA between January 1990 and July 2017, where he was
successively deputy-director for the Middle East and North Africa (1990-1991), head of the Policy
Planning Group (1995-1997), director of Analysis and Information Coordination Department (2001-2003)
and Secretary of State for Global Affairs (2009-2011).
He was Romania’s Ambassador to the State of Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman (1991-1995), Egypt
(1997-2001), UN and other international organizations in Geneva (2003-2009) and to China and
Mongolia (2012-2017). While in Geneva, Costea was the second President of the UN Human Rights
Council (2007-2008) – the first representative of a EU Member State in this position – and steered the
setting up of HRC new mechanisms (the Universal Periodic Review, the Review of Mandates of Special
Procedures and others).

Costea is fluent in Arabic, English and French and has a PhD in political science (2009) with the National
School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest, on democracy building in the Middle East. He
lectured, inter alia, at the American University – Cairo, the Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian and
Eastern European Studies at Columbia University – New York, Tsinghua University, the Institute for
International Studies, the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies with Renmin University, China
Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing and at the Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (Canton). He was a
panelist at previous editions of the Bucharest Forum organized by the Aspen Institute Romania and the
German Marshall Fund and speaker at meetings of the China Strategy Group with European Center on
Foreign Relations.

Alexander Downer

SPEAKER

Mr Downer is Executive Chair of the International School for Government at King’s College London.

From 2014 to 2018, Mr Downer was Australian High Commissioner to the UK. Prior to this, he was
Australia’s longest-serving Minister for Foreign Affairs, a role he held from 1996 to 2007.

Mr Downer also served as Opposition Leader and leader of the Australian Liberal Party from 1994 to
1995 and was Member of the Australian Parliament for Mayo for over 20 years.
In addition to a range of other political and diplomatic roles, he was Executive Director of the Australian
Chamber of Commerce and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus, in which
he worked on peace talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. He is currently Chairman of the UK think
tank Policy Exchange and a trustee of the International Crisis Group.

Mihai-Viorel Fifor

SPEAKER

Mr. Mihai-Viorel Fifor is born on May 10, 1970, in Drobeta Turnu Severin. He has a BA in Letters and
History from the University of Craiova (1994), a MA in Romanian Literature (1995) and a Ph.D. in Social
Anthropology (MAGNA CUM LAUDE) from the same University (2003). He has also obtained in 2003 a
MA in Public Institution Management from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in
Bucharest. In 2009 he attended the Internal Affairs Management courses of the National College of
Internal Affairs, and the Security and Good Governance courses of the National Defense College, both in
Bucharest. In 2014 and 2015 Mr. Fifor has attended the courses of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute,
concentrated on the international security, foreign policy and diplomacy.

Work Experience

From 1994 to 2002, he was a Senior Research Scientist at the Romanian Academy’s “C.S. Nicolăescu-
Plopșor” Social Studies Research Institute in Craiova, and from 2001 to 2005 he was a Research Scientist
and Director of the Dolj “Regional Center for Conservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture” in
Craiova. From 2005 to January 2009, and subsequently, from October 2009 to 2012, he served as
General Manager of the “Oltenia” Museum in Craiova. Since 2003, he has been an Associate Professor at
the Faculty of Letters of the University of Craiova.

Political Career

The political career of Mihai-Viorel Fifor includes positions such as State Secretary at the Ministry of
Administration and Interior (from January to October 2009, and from May to December 2012), Senator
of the Romanian Parliament (since 2012, as a member of the Social Democratic Party), Minister of
Economy (from June to September 2017). On September 12, he was appointed Minister of National
Defense. From January 16 to January 29, 2018 he was also appointed interim Prime Minister of
Romania.

Mihai-Viorel Fifor is fluent in English and French.

Franco Frattini

SPEAKER

Franco Frattini is an Italian Magistrate, appointed State Prosecutor on 1981. On 1986 he is appointed by
public competition Administrative magistrate. Today he is Justice and Chamber President to the Italian
Supreme Administrative Court (Conseil d’Etat). He served twice as Former Italian Foreign Minister (2002-
2004 and 2008-2011), and as Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice,
Freedom and Security (2004-2008).

Previously, he had served as Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Office (1994), President of the
Parliamentary Committee for Intelligence and Security Services and State Secrets (1996), Minister for
Civil Service and for the Coordination of Information and Security Services (2001-2002), and Member of
the Prime Minister Commission for the Constitutional reforms (2013 – 2014). From 2011 to 2013 Franco
Frattini is President of the De Gasperi Foundation.

Today he is President of the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI), a non-profit
organization of internationalist character, working under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs; Special Advisor to the Serbian Government for the EU integration process, and President of the
High Court of Sport Justice (CONI); Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in- Office for the
Transdniestrian Settlement Process.

He is apponted “Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic”, and “Commander of
the Legion of honour” by the President of France. In 2011 Frattini receives the Golden neck-chain of the
Olympic Order, the highest honour of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The award was a
recognition of his personal commitment and of Italy’s efforts to have the IOC awarded Observer status
at the United Nations. Franco Frattini is also decorated with the “order of Friendship”, a State
decoration of the Russian Federation.
Guido Gianasso

SPEAKER

Guido Gianasso is Associate Dean (Corporate Engagement and Relations) and Professor in Global
Leadership at Nanyang Business School in Singapore. He is also Visiting Professor at the University of
Geneva in Switzerland.

A leading expert in human resources and global leadership, Prof. Gianasso has over thirty years of
management and teaching experience in the Education, Security, Aviation and Banking sectors, helping
CEOs driving major change programs. He worked with the World Bank and United Nations. From 2003 to
2013 he was the VP, Human Capital and Executive Committee member of the International Air Transport
Association (IATA). He was also the Managing Director of the IATA Training and Development Institute
(ITDI).

In addition to his Academic responsibilities, Dr. Gianasso is also the Honorary Consul of Romania in
Geneva and a regular speaker at International conferences and corporate programs. He serves on the
Board of Trustees of the American University of Phnom Penh (Cambodia). He previously served as Vice-
President of the Diplomatic Club of Geneva (Switzerland), on the Eurocontrol Supervisory Board
(Belgium), as Senior Advisor to the Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Romania) and on the IMD
Executive Education Advisory Council (Switzerland).

A Swiss-Italian national, Dr. Gianasso holds a PhD in management and a DES in Law from the University
of Geneva. He speaks fluently English, French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.
Ivan Hodáč

SPEAKER

Ivan Hodáč is a Founder and President of the Aspen Institute Central Europe. He was Secretary-General
of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) from 2001 until October 2013. He was
among other a member of a special Advisory Group of experts, which was advising the European
Commission in negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the United States
(TTIP), and an advisor to the Czech Government on European issues. He is also a Senior advisor at Teneo
CabinetDN, a leading consultancy on the EU. The Financial Times listed him among the most influential
personalities in Brussels politics. Before joining ACEA, he was Senior Vice-President and Head of the
Time Warner Corporate office for Europe. Previously he was Secretary-General of the trade organization
IFMA/IMACE, Senior Economist at Didier & Associates, and Assistant Professor at the College of Europe,
Bruges. He was born in Prague, where he studied mechanical engineering. He completed his education
in economics and political science at the University of Copenhagen and the College of Europe in Bruges
(European studies).

Alexander Iskandaryan

SPEAKER

Alexander Iskandaryan is a political scientist and Director of the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute. His
areas of study are ethnopolitical conflicts, post-Communist transformations and nation building in the
former USSR, including the South Caucasus, Northern Caucasus and Central Asia. He has extensively
lectured and published on democracy, conflicts, formal and informal institutions in a transition setting,
the building of post-Soviet identities, migration, regional integration, media development and the
formation of public discourses. Under his guidance, the Caucasus Institute engages in research and
advocacy, organizes public debates and scholarly events.
Arielle Malard de Rothschild

SPEAKER

Arielle joined Rothschild in Paris in 1998 where she founded the Emerging Markets Department. Before
this, she spent 10 years at Lazard Frères & Cie, as part of the Sovereign Advisory Group. Based in Paris,
Arielle is a Managing Director since 2006 and joined the Supervisory Board of Rothschild & Co, in 2014.

Arielle advises governments and large corporates from CEE and CIS as foreign corporates and PEH
interested in investing in the region. She is Executive Vice Chairman for Central & Eastern Europe Central
since 2010.

In Romania, Arielle has been advising on more than 20 transactions, with the most emblematic being
the acquisition of Dacia by Renault and of BCR by Erste Bank. Arielle sits on the Board of Electrica S.A
since 2014.

Arielle is one of the founding members of Financi’Elles, the leading federation of networks promoting
gender diversity in the financial sector and committed to helping improve and streamline women’s
access to the top level of organisations in the finance sector. She is also the Chair of CARE France,
member of the leading NGO, CARE International, which works around the globe to defeat poverty
putting women and girls in the centre .

Arielle holds a Ph.D. in Economic Sciences from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. She is the
author of a book “Cofinancing World Bank- commercial banks”, PUF 1986 and co-author of a choral
book with Institut Montaigne and Financi’Elles ” Analysis and remedies to increase trust between
stakeholders in the corporate world”, Eyrolles 2013.

Molly Montgomery
SPEAKER

Molly Montgomery is a Vice President in Albright Stonebridge Group’s Europe practice. Drawing on
more than a decade of experience in the region, Ms. Montgomery develops and implements strategies
for clients to deepen relationships with key stakeholders, resolve complex problems, and expand global
reach.

Ms. Montgomery joined the firm from the White House, where she served as Special Advisor to the Vice
President for Europe and Eurasia. In addition to advising the Vice President on strategy, policy
development, and engagement toward Europe, she frequently represented the White House in public
and private engagements with the diplomatic, business, and non-profit communities.

Previously, Ms. Montgomery served as Deputy Director of the Office of Eastern European Affairs at the
U.S. Department of State. There, she helped to lead the U.S. response to the crisis in Ukraine and
developed strategies to fight corruption, spur democratic and market-oriented reforms, and increase
energy security throughout the region.

As a member of the State Department’s Executive Secretariat, Ms. Montgomery traveled to more than
20 countries with the Secretary of State. She represented the United States in negotiations with foreign
governments and was responsible for the planning and execution of public and diplomatic engagements
around the world.

During her 14-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ms. Montgomery also served at the U.S. embassies
in Riga, Sarajevo, and Kabul and at the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai.

Ms. Montgomery earned an M.P.A. in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson School at
Princeton University and holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from Stanford University. She is a
recipient of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship and a term member of the Council of
Foreign Relations. She speaks French, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian.

Ms. Montgomery is based in Washington, DC.

Dr. Simona Neumann

SPEAKER
Simona Neumann is CEO/ Executive Director for Timisoara 2021 – European Capital of
Culture (Romania) since January 2013. She has successfully led the bidding process of the city of
Timisoara during the multi-year competition among 14 Romanian cities for the European Capital of
Culture title in 2021. Currently she is overseeing the implementation phase.

She has 20 years of professional experience in managing multi-stakeholder programmes in Romanian

and international context in the fields of culture, education, public diplomacy, people-to-people
contacts and development of civil society.

She worked at the European Commission in Brussels and on mission in Cyprus, at the Task Force Turkish
Cypriot Community, in the sensitive context of Cyprus; at the United Nations Development
Programme in Bucharest; at Veb Academia Europaea in Florence (Italy); at the Institute for
International Education in Washington, DC (USA); at the West University of Timisoara; and at
the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara.

She holds a Ph.D. in Public Diplomacy from the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj (2011); an MA in
European Affairs from the West University of Timisoara (2000); specialized in strategic management of
non-profit organisations at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government; and since 2016 she is an
Aspen Leadership programme alumni.

Shotaro Oshima

SPEAKER

Former Chairman of the General Council of WTO

Ambassador Shotaro Oshima is Chairman at the Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES) and
teaching politics of world trade at Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo as Visiting
Professor. His 40 years’ experience as a diplomat in Japan’s Foreign Service includes Member of the
Appellate Body at WTO (2008-2012), Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2005-2007), Ambassador to
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2000-2001) and Director-General for Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (1997-2000).
Joana Sánchez Klosinska

SPEAKER

With more than 10 years of experience in the field of Public Policy, Joana Sánchez was appointed this
year responsible for Public Policy in CEE for Mastercard. Previously, she was responsible for Public Policy
in Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands of Mastercard.
As responsible for Public Policy in CEE, Joana develops and coordinates the company’s Institutional
Relations strategy in nineteen markets.

Joana Sánchez holds a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Europe from the University of Bath (United
Kingdom) and completed her bachelor’s degree at New York University. She is also native speaker in
Spanish and Polish, and has a bilingual level in English.

Radu Tudor

MODERATOR

Born on July 24, 1970.

25 years experience in media as tv host and anchor, columnist and radio collaborator.

Covering NATO Summits since 1994, moderator and invitee to several events on institutions, forums and
NGO’s for defence, security, intelligence and foreign affairs : NATO, SHAPE, Aspen Institute, German
Marshal Fund and others.

Radu Tudor is the host of daily political show “Punctul de intalnire” at Antena 3 TV, the CNN partner in
Romania.
Awarded in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 and 2015 by Romanian Association of Professionals in
Television (APTR).

Since 2000, Radu Tudor is Jane’s Defence Weekly correspondent in Romania.

Radu Tudor is a graduate of the Higher School of Journalism, graduate in audio-visual media at Faculty of
Journalism Bucharest, a graduate of National Defense College (1995) and the National Security College
(2001). He has a Masters in National Security (2007) from the National Defense University “Carol I”.

Besides journalistic studies, Radu Tudor has a solid background on analysis on defense, intelligence,
international relations. Quoted in articles and studies by US Atlantic Council, Rand Corporation,
International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Strategic Studies Institute – US Army War
College, New York Times, BBC.

You can also find his comments and analysis on www.radu-tudor.ro.

Andrew Wrobel

SPEAKER

Andrew Wrobel is editor-in-chief of Emerging Europe, a magazine and a web portal discussing business,
politics, culture in 23 countries across Central and Eastern Europe.

Trained as a journalist and a film director, he has worked for broadcast and print media for over 15
years. Since the beginning of his career he has covered business, investment, trade, macro-economy and
political economy. He regularly interviews political and business leaders about economics, business and
politics. He is a moderator and a panelist at national and international economic and business events,
and a media commentator.

Andrew’s main area of expertise is Central and Eastern Europe. He has authored and contributed to a
number of international business, investment and trade-related publications, guides and reports, mainly
about the CEE region. In 2014, he was awarded by the International Event and Visual Communication
Association (EVCOM) for his coverage of a communications campaign UK Trade and Investment had run
in CEE. Currently, Andrew is pursuing a PhD degree in nation branding.
Irina Zidaru

SPEAKER

Irina Zidaru is a career diplomat with expertise in regional affairs and the European perspective of
Romania’s non-EU neighbors, the relationship of regional organizations with the EU, frozen conflicts and
regional security.

She participated in negotiations for many bilateral political and technical agreements with Romania’s
non-EU neighbors.

On the academic dimension, she has a general interest in the theory of the international relations, the
concept of de facto states, multilateral negotiations and the evolution of soft power in modern and
contemporary history.