Leading political figures from Europe, the USA, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece will address the “International Conference on Peace and Sustainable Development”, co-organised by Alexis Tsipras Institute and Zoran Zaev Foundationon June 17 and 18, at the Athens Conservatory, exactly 6 years after the signing of the Prespa Agreement.

According to sources close to the former prime minister, the Conference will focus on the importance of promoting active policies for peace and sustainable development, at a particularly critical moment, as they say, for international, regional and European developments.

The dialogue will focus on the future of Europe after the European elections, the accession perspective of the Western Balkans and the geopolitical developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the peaceful resolution of disputes and the role of international organizations in diplomatic developments, dealing with the climate crisis and the just transition to green agenda, as well as in European economic developments, the Recovery Fund and addressing regional and social inequalities.

The International Conference will be attended by heads of international organizations, prime ministers, European commissioners, leading government officials, former Presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers, as well as party representatives from across the democratic spectrum with an emphasis on representing the Centre-Left, the Left and wider progressive forces.

The interventions of the mayors of Athens and Istanbul, as well as the heads of distinguished institutes for sustainable development and the green agenda, will also be important.

A special moment of the International Conference will be the presentation of the Prespa Award to Matthew Nimitz, UN Special Envoy on the Naming Question (1994-2019).

Mr. Nimitz’s positive contribution to the rapprochement of the two countries and the achievement of the Prespa Agreement will be honored, with his message, by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

According to the same sources, the International Conference will be the first of a series of events and initiatives that the Alexis Tsipras Institute will hold in the next period with the aim of starting a wider public dialogue on the future of Greece and Europe.

In this context, the aim of the Alexis Tsipras Institute is to elaborate and highlight progressive policies and solutions, as well as to contribute to the dialogue of wider democratic forces to shape a future of peace, justice and sustainable development for all Greek women and men.

Among the participants are:

– Head of international organizations

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations (UN)

– Theodoros Roussopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe

– Four European Commissioners

Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy, European Commission

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Management, European Commission

Margaritis Schinas, Vice President, Promoting Our European Way of Life, European Commission

Maros Sefkovic, Vice President for the Green Agenda

– Current and former presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers

Francois Hollande, President of the French Republic (2012-2017)

Milos Vucevic, Prime Minister of Serbia

Stefan Löfven, President of the Eurosocialist Party, Prime Minister of Sweden (2014-2021)

Yolanda Diaz, 2nd Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Labor and Hon. prime minister, President, Sumar, Spain

George Papandreou, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic (2009-2011)

Nikos Kotzias, Minister of Foreign Affairs (2015-2018), Greece

Nikola Dimitrov, President, Balkan Center for Constructive Policies Solutions, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs (2017-2020), North Macedonia

– Senior government officials from EU, Balkan and Middle East countries heads of European Parliament political groups and executives, representatives from across the democratic political spectrum

Martin Schulz, President, Friedrich-Ebert Foundation (FES), former President of the European Parliament

Elly Schlein, General Secretary, Democratic Party (PD), Italy

Stefanos Stefanou, General Secretary of the Central Committee, Working People’s Reform Party (AKEL)

Ska Keller, Member, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, European Parliament

Magnús Skjöld, Head of International Affairs, Social Democratic Alliance, Icelandic Parliament, Iceland

Alice Barbe, President, Académie Des Futurs Leaders, France

Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, European Commission

– Mayors and former mayors

Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul

Haris Doukas, mayor of Athens

Maria Vassilakou, founder, Vienna Solutions, deputy mayor and municipal councilor of Vienna (2010-2019)

– Representatives of institutes, executives of organizations and journalists

Mustafa Aydin, president, International Relations Council of Turkey

Barak Ravid, journalist and political analyst, CNN, Israel

Miroslav Lajcak, European Union Special Envoy for the Western Balkans

Menelaos Menelaou, Greek Cypriot negotiator for the Cyprus issue, Cyprus

Sotiris Roussos, professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Peloponnese, scientific director of the Center for Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Humberto Costa, Senator, Lula Foundation, Brazil

Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water (2023-2024), Bulgaria, Researcher, European Climate Foundation

David Livingston, Advisor to Special Presidential Envoy on Climate, John Kerry, USA

Manolis Pleionis, Director and Chairman of the Board, National Observatory of Athens

– Moderators of the discussions

Maria Nikoltsiou, Alpha TV journalist

Antonis Papagiannidis, director, Economic Review

Niki Lymberakis, Mega TV

Konstantinos Filis, professor and director, ACG Institute of Global Affairs, American College of Athens

Marilena Koppa, Professor of Comparative Politics, Department of International, European and Regional Studies, Panteion University

Nektaria Stamoulis, Eastern Mediterranean Correspondent, Politico Europe

Niki Lymberakis, journalist, Mega Channel

Harry Tzimitras, Director, PRIO Cyprus Center, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Cyprus

Elaine Papoulias, director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), Harvard University, USA

Kaki Bali, Avgi journalist

Dora Anagnostopoulos, journalist, Mega Channel