Minister Lipavský Spoke about Russian Hybrid Threats at the GLOBSEC Conference

Minister addressed a panel on Countering Russia's Hybrid Threat ("Countering Russia's Hybrid Threat"), followed by a discussion with Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihail Pop?oi, NATO Assistant Secretary General Marie-Doha Besancenot and Junior Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty.

"One issue will be crucial for Europe’s future. That one issue is how we deal with Russia's aggression against the West. The stage from which I am addressing you today holds the name of the late Czechoslovak and Czech president Václav Havel. He once said, I quote “the Russian problem is that it doesn't exactly know where it begins and where it ends, “ end of quote. To put it bluntly, Russian imperial ambitions have no limits. Unless we set them," said czech diplomacy chief at the beginning.

"Resisting Russian imperialism is the call of the day. It is also a key part of a much larger struggle to preserve the world governed by the UN Charter and international law. It is vital that we continue to live together in an environment, in which the power of international law, not the law of the stronger, prevails. Our security and prosperity depend on it," said Minister Lipavský.

On the sidelines of the first day of the conference, the Minister met with Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Ben Hodges, retired US General and former Commander of the US Army in Europe, Brad Smith, President of Microsoft. On Saturday, he continued with meetings with Mirek Dušek, Executive Director of the World Economic Forum responsible for Europe and Eurasia, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of the Open Russia movement.

In particular, the conference focused on the unprecedented security situation in Ukraine and the future of the European Union. During several panel discussions, participants marked the anniversary of the enlargement and founding of NATO, and discussions were held in the context of the future direction of the EU after the elections, the results of the NATO Washington Summit and the upcoming US presidential election.

The organisers of the GLOBSEC conference, together with the Jagello 2000 association, also honoured the legacy of the late Czech diplomat Martin Povejšil and presented his wife with the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Award.

Over 1500 participants from 70 countries attended the conference.