Conference Invitation: Turkey and Cyprus: Regional Peace & Stability

Transcription

1 Conference Invitation: Turkey and Cyprus: Regional Peace & Stability You are herewith cordially invited to participate in the conference entitled Turkey and Cyprus Regional Peace & Stability to be held at USAK House on February 28, The conference will map the current situation in Cyprus, address the threats from the on-going conflict escalation in the region and identify alternative routes towards a solution. The keynote speakers of the event are two eminent statesmen. Mr George Papandreou Former Prime Minister of Greece and President of Socialist International Mr Hikmet Çetin Former Spokesperson of the Turkish Parliament and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Please click here for the details of the program and the organizers/sponsors. NOTE 1: The conference will be held in English and simultaneous interpretation will not be available. NOTE 2: Please note that the morning session will be open to public whereas limited participation would be available in the afternoon sessions that will host pundits working on Cyrus question. Please inform us of your participation before 4 pm on February 26, 2015 (via or [email protected]) Aim of the Workshop The event will focus on the prospects of reconciliation and stability in Cyprus. It will attract policymakers, civil society leaders and academics in a discussion of a shared vision for the island and its region. The first part of the workshop will focus on alternative visions for the future by leading policymakers raising awareness for a peaceful and sustainable solution to the Cyprus question. The second part will focus on a proposal for confidence-building measures put forward by members of the Cyprus Academic Dialogue ( AcademicDialogue) a bi-communal civil society group that exists and works for the achievement of a Federal United Cyprus. The workshop will map the current situation 1

2 in Cyprus, address the threats from the on-going conflict escalation in the region and identify alternative routes towards a solution. Core Themes The discussion topics of the workshop will focus primarily on: - Mapping the current situation in Cyprus - Human rights and vulnerable groups - Confidence-building measures - Alternative visions for the future - Discussion & next steps Main Speakers Mr George Papandreou Former Prime Minister of Greece and President of Socialist International Mr Hikmet Çetin Spokesperson of Turkish Parliament and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Organizing Committee Neophytos Loizides, University of Kent Nicos Anastasiou, Cyprus Academic Dialogue/InterNapa College Mustafa Kutlay, USAK Costa Constanti, Cyprus Academic Dialogue/Australian High Commission Muzaffer Kutlay, University of Kent Marc Herzog, British Institute at Ankara Organizers/Sponsors Cyprus Academic Dialogue (Main Organizer) International Strategic Research Organisation (USAK) Australian High Commission Nicosia University of Kent, Conflict Analysis Research Centre British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) Friedrich Ebert Foundation Australian Embassy Ankara British Academy University of Kent, 50 th Anniversary Beacon Projects Global Society 2

3 Cyprus Academic Dialogue Cyprus Academic Dialogue (CAD) is an NGO that groups academics and intellectuals together innovatively to contribute towards peace, confidence building measures and the reunification of the island. Its principal objective is to promote dialogue, greater understanding, mutual respect and cooperation amongst Cypriot, Greek and Turkish academics and civil society leaders. CAD s principal contribution is to create more opportunities for academics, policy and opinion makers, to interact with, and better understand each other. This means greater appreciation of each other s beliefs, customs, languages, ways of thinking, lifestyles, hopes and aspirations, achievements, fears, concerns and needs. Specifically with regard to the Cyprus problem, CAD aims to press for a peaceful, just, and viable solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi-zonal bi-communal reunified, federal, and European Cyprus and to act as a catalyst toward the establishment of friendship and cooperation within the triangle of Cyprus, Turkey and Greece. Welcoming Reception February 27 th, 2015 Australian Ambassador s Residence in Ankara, 6:30pm February 27th. Address of Reception: Nurol Residences, Koza Sokak No.126, Block-A, 11th Floor, GOP, Cankaya, Ankara RSVP for the reception by Tuesday 24 February (via [email protected] or ( ) 3

4 Programme February 28 th, Coffee/Registration Welcoming Speeches Özdem Sanberk, Director of USAK James Larsen, Australian Ambassador in Ankara Richard Moore, British Ambassador in Ankara Nicos Anastasiou, President of Cyprus Academic Dialogue Panel 1: The Vision for Peace in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean Moderators :00 Speakers Neophytos Loizides, University of Kent Mr George Papandreou, Former Prime Minister, Greece and President of Socialist International Mr Hikmet Çetin, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey LUNCH Hall) Panel 2: New Perspectives on Cyprus Question Moderator Feargal Cochrane, University of Kent Speakers Fatih Tayfur, Middle East Technical University Remembering for the Future and Imaginations Through the Looking Glass: A Fantastical Tale for Eastern Mediterranean Yücel Vural & Constantinos Adamides (NGOs: Choice, Politeia) Proposal for Confidence-Building Measures in Cyprus 15:30-15:45 Coffee Break 4

5 Panel 3: New Ideas for the Cyprus Mediation (Round Table Discussion) Moderator Esra Cuhadar, Bilkent University Speakers 15:45-17:00 Neophytos Loizides, Cyprus Academic Dialogue Yücel Vural, Cyprus Academic Dialogue Maria Hadjipavlou, Cyprus Academic Dialogue, Atila Eralp, Middle East Technical University Senem Aydın Düzgit, Bilgi University Conclusions & Next Steps 17:00 18:00 Hubert Faustmann Friedrich Ebert Stiftung/University of Nicosia Preparation for a Joint Statement by CAD members and other participants Publication and dissemination opportunities: The way forward in Cyprus 5

6 The consortium of partners supporting the event included the Australian High Commission in Nicosia, the British and Australian Embassies in Ankara, the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Nicosia and Istanbul. The University of Kent funded this flagship initiative through the School of Politics and International Relations Beacon project, the Faculty Internationalization fund, and a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship awarded to Dr. Neophytos Loizides for