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Distinguished participants of the conference,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you here today at the international academic conference on regional development paradigms in the Baltic – Black Sea Intermarum.

It is symbolic, that the discussions on regional development are going on here, in the European Humanities University. I am glad to say that this University is a significant actor in the process of democratization of Belarus and that it belongs to the European and international academic network, which undoubtedly has an impact on the developments of different systems of higher education and enriches them with exchange of ideas between East and West. Our common goal is to effectively benefit from University‘s academic potential in preparing strategies for fruitful regional cooperation and other very important foreign policy issues. This conference will be the field for discussions about the developments in the region of Intermarum and about the regional cooperation both in the past and in the future, facing new challenges of our time.

Few regions in the world, if any, suffered more or were left more impoverished by the wars than this region of Europe. The collapse of empires in 20th century allowed a range of nations of the region to emerge as independent states and these nations, fatigued by World wars also suffered from struggles within and among themselves. Nowadays the countries of the Intermarum have good neighbourly relations, cooperate effectively in various fields, have close political, economic, cultural ties. The region has so many nations differing in culture, language, religion. Yet they have a lot in common - not only similar songs and legends, but also similar problems, interests and concerns based on their common historical experience. The historical ties that bind countries of the region have produced among some of them contemporary political and economic arrangements - like inter-parliamentary assemblies, joint peacekeeping forces, joint economic and transport projects. Of course, there are a lot of challenges that region is facing now and it is still searching for its geopolitical identity.

Most of the countries became EU and NATO members. Others are on their way to European integration. The last two waves of EU enlargement have brought Eastern European and South Caucasus countries to the Union’s doorstep. This changed the whole dynamics of Europe’s engagement with her Eastern neighbours and called for the development of a strong, integrated, open and outward-looking policy - Eastern Partnership Initiative, which will help us deal with contemporary challenges such as ensuring energy security as well as improve people-to-people contacts and implement very important projects in all areas – education, culture, scientific research, infrastructure and economy.

We all understand that only joint efforts can help us develop common principles in all fields. Sub-regional cooperation proved itself to be a very effective tool to tackle emerging problems and to jointly defend common economic and political interests. For example, Visegrad group, CBSS and other sub-regional formats enabled Central European and Baltic Sea states to develop common projects in various areas as well as to define common position on subjects of great importance for participating countries.

We see stronger engagement in sub-regional cooperation as one of the priority directions for the Lithuanian chairmanship of OSCE next year. Building on cooperative approaches links people and ideas, EU and non-EU members and transcends political agendas. Europe’s integration has proven over the years to be the best guarantor of peace and prosperity.

 I believe that this conference is a great opportunity to discuss emerging problems, to suggest various approaches and to make presumptions and analyses based on historical experience – successes and mistakes of the past. It is also a brilliant opportunity for scientists and analysts from different countries to meet each other and share their views on the most relevant issues of our time.

I am very pleased to see that the European Humanities University is becoming not only educational institution but also political analysis centre and an auditorium for young academics to present their studies and opinions.

Thank you.