Ambassador Bikas Participates in Round-Table Discussion at King's College Conference

HE Ambassador Konstantinos Bikas attended the Ambassadorial Round Table at King’s College on the 17th of May 2013. Attending with Mr Bikas were the ambassadors of Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey along with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Greece, Mr Kittmer.

The conference, which was organized by King’s College and sponsored by Mr A.C. Laskaridis and the Anglo-Hellenic League, was focused on the historical and political realities of the Balkans during the last hundred years. The discussions covered a diverse number of issues, starting from the Balkan Wars (Day 1/Session I) and the Ottoman Empire and going up to and including the post-1990 Balkan relations and the current prospects for South-East Europe (Day 2/Session III)

Mr Bikas and the other ambassadors participated in the round table discussion that concluded the second day’s proceedings, which was chaired by professor Sir Lawrence Freedman. Topics that were discussed focused on South-East Europe and its present status and future prospects. Some of the questions that were submitted to the panel had to do with the current financial crisis that is so heavily affecting the region and whether the South East European Countries Cooperation will benefit the region. Further discussion was undertaken on energy policies, past dependence on Russian energy resources and future projects in the region, such as Greece’s become a LNG hub. Finally, the panel addressed political/diplomatic issues such as the potential expansion of the EU as well as the standing of the South East of Europe as a diplomatic entity in issues that range from the Middle East (Syria, Palestinian Territories) to Northern Africa, NATO and beyond.