Globsec: More Than 2,000 Guests from 70 Countries, Including EC President

Prague/Bratislava, August 22 (TASR-correspondent) - The Globsec international conference, which will be held for the first time in its 18 years of existence in Prague, as it could "no longer be developed in Bratislava", will be attended by more than 2,000 guests from 70 countries around the world, including prime ministers, presidents and dozens of ministers, Globsec head Robert Vass told Czech CT24 broadcaster on Thursday. TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent in Prague. "The attendance will be quite spectacular. Among the confirmed guests are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and several foreign affairs ministers, including from Jordan, Austria and Lithuania, but also many other guests not only from Europe and the United States, but from the Middle East, Central Asia and other parts of the world as well," stated Vass. This year's Globsec will revolve around the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, with the participation of a large delegation of ministers and lawmakers from Ukraine. However, the discussion will also feature the future of the European Commission in its new term of office and hybrid threats. One of the outputs of the event will be the founding of a 'geotech centre', aimed at analysing the impacts of new technologies and AI on national security. "We'll try to forge a global network of leaders from the technology industry as well as the world of politics to start shaping rules that these technology companies or new technologies should have," said Vass, adding that this is why, for instance, Globsec will be attended by the Microsoft president. Before the conference was relocated to Prague, it convened for 18 years in Bratislava. However, the event organisers have reached a certain limit past which they found it impossible to further develop the event in Slovakia. "We've been seeking a country that not only boasts congress premises of sufficient size, but also enjoys a stable political situation, capable of supporting such international dialogue. Because of this, I'm very glad to cooperate with the [Czech] Foreign Affairs Ministry as our partner for the conference and the [Czech] President's Office, which has taken the event under its auspices," he explained. mf/df