Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association (ESGA) has organized on June 5th, 2018, the debate ”Russia and the West: How to build “perfect” Partnerships with “imperfect” Leaders. The Role of Russia in the “Post-Truth” World”. The guest speakers of the event were Konstantin von Eggert, Programme host and commentator at TV Rain. He was a diplomatic correspondent for Izvestia daily in the 1990s, Moscow bureau chief for the BBC Russian Service in 2002 – 2008, and deputy editor and then editor in chief of Kommersant FM in 2012 – 2013 where he covered armed conflicts in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Balkans and Alex Nice, British analyst covering the politics and economics of Russia and the post-Soviet space, Warsaw. In 2013-17 he was Regional Manager at The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in London covering Russia and the CIS. Prior to this he was the Coordinator of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and was subsequently a member of the RIIA Council.

 The debate was moderated by Dr. Angela Gramada, president, Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association, Bucharest.

The discussion was focused on future trends in Russian politics, US-Russian relations and further development in the Russian economy, foreign and domestic policies.  About 35 participants, experts, and academia representatives had the opportunity to actively be involved in the debate using the OSM (Open Space Method).

This debate is first one within the present project “Understanding the Eastern Neighborhood. A unique platform for comprehensive debates and analysis on Russian affairs” and it is part of the series of the follow-up events continuing the project implemented in 2017 by ESGA.  Within this projects, ESGA aims to engage the young generation of experts proactively in the efforts oriented on setting a new agenda for the dialogue with Russia and to encourage the participation into public debates.

The debate was also attended by different media representatives and the conclusions of the event were presented in these media sources.

Detailed information about ESGA projects is available on the website http://esga.ro and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ESGAfiles/.

The Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association (ESGA) is a Romanian think tank designed as an online platform that will bring together researchers, experts, analysts, journalists, civil society representatives both from Romania and from abroad, specialized in the study of political, socio-economic and security the of the ex-soviet space, Euro-Atlantic area and the Middle East. ESGA is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization and think tank.