9th Prague Security Conference- EU-China-Russia: Looking for Common Interests.












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            * 9th Prague Security Conference- EU-China-Russia: Looking for Common Interests.
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            On a rainy November Friday in Prague hundreds of academics, politicians, diplomats and mil

            from Europe, China, Russia and beyond congregated in the National Technical Library for th
            Security Conference. Co-organised by the Centre for Security Policy CESES at the Faculty o
            at Charles University the conferences have been running bi-annually since 2009. This year’

            dedicated to discussing the European Union, China and Russia and to looking for points of 
            between them.
            The conference, held on Friday, 15th of November, was divided into four sessions, each dis

            aspects of the main topic. The conference was opened with a speech by Jan Kohout, the Czec
            Foreign Affairs, and the following introductory speeches by the guests of honour included 

            of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University, Jakub Končelík.
            The aim of the first discussion, entitled ‘Looking for common interests of EU, China and R
            establish some shared interests between the three actors, and the panel was compromised of

            von Maltzahn, Secretary General of the German Council of Foreign Relations; Miloš Balabán,
            Centre for Security Policy; Hu Yumin, a senion research fellow at CIISS; Stanislav Chernia
            Moscow state institute of IR; Alexander Lukin, Vice-President of the Diplomatic Academy of

            of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Nicolai Petro, Fullbright scholar at Odes
            University. Points of common interest as well as points of conflict were raised, with trad
            between the three actors a major point of common interest, with the possibility of an over

            or new “Silk Road” between Europe, Russia and China a popular idea. The importance of mult
            the new world order was also emphasized as a common point of agreement by many. It was Hu 
            however that maybe best conveyed the panel’s general consensus: that the EU, China and Rus

            partners, but they are not allies.
            The second session discussed ‘Opportunities for closer economic cooperation of EU, China a
            and included briefings by Tomáš Dub, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Cheng Yongru,

            Counsellor at the People’s Republic of China Embassy in Prague; Sergey Afontsev, Head of t
            for Economic Theory at the Russian Academy of Science, and Josef Perlík, Chairman of the b
            Nuclear Power Alliance. Their briefings were followed by a panel discussion consisting of 

            trade and industrial representatives. The idea of overland transport across the Eurasian c
            again a popular talking point, as was the importance of facilitating easier movement of hu
            businessmen and goods between borders.

            The third session was another panel discussion, this time on transport issues between the 
            (entitled ‘Development of Communication between Asia and Europe’), and it focused mainly o
            an overland railroad from East to West, and the so-called North Sea Road, a shipping route

            Arctic circle. The panellists were Libor Stejskal from the Centre for Security Policy; Alg
            of the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University; Lev Voronkov, Head of the Nordic Department
            for Nordic and Baltic Sturdies in the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, L

            associate research fellow at CIISS; and the only female panellist to appear on the day, Ol
            and member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism. They discussed the advantages and ch
            with both options, environmental unpredictability and the need for great investment posing

            the development of a North Sea road, and problems with border control and bureaucratic com
            as the expense of train travel mentioned as issues facing overland train connections.
            The last session focused on security issues and was entitled ‘How to face common security 

            EU, NATO, China, and Russia’. Gen. Markus Bentler, German military representative in NATO 
            Changlin, a Senior Research Fellow at CIISS and Alexander Lukin of the Diplomatic Academy 
            and a panel of academics and politicians held a discussion on the topic afterwards. NATO w

            of contention between the speakers with strong feelings for and against the institution. A
            was the future of Afghanistan after the 2014 withdrawal of US troops, and the effects it w
            region.

            And so closed another successful Security Conference, having brought together many interes
            contrasting perspectives on issues that are sure to be important for Europe as well as the
            world in coming years.

                                                                                                      
                                               Elan Grug Muse is in her second year studying for a BA 
                                               Prague. She is interested in international politics, mu
                                               skills.