“Sustainability of the Joint Future” – International conference

On 18 February 2022, the Serbian The Belt and Road Institute held an international conference, entitled “Sustainability of the Joint Future” to discuss the developments of the Belt and Road Initiative. The event brought together speakers from three continents – Europe, Asia, and Africa – from the field of academia, politics, and business. The event featured presentations by Márton Ugrósdy, Director of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Viktor Eszterhai, Senior Research Fellow of the institute.

In his presentation, director Ugrósdy stressed the responsibility of think tanks and research institutes in an increasingly politicized international environment. He pointed out that the pursuit of objective science should not be overshadowed by the need to comply with politics at all costs. In his presentation, Viktor Eszterhai compared the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and the Western-originated Build Back Better World and Global Gateway connectivity initiatives from the perspective of the Central European states. The conclusion of his presentation highlighted that Western initiatives can be most successful in cooperation with China, which also coincides with the interests of the Central and Eastern European countries. The organizers announced at the conference that The Belt and Road Institute intends to build a regional network of research institutes in the future, working with the political, economic and civil sectors to actively shape international cooperation under the One Belt One Road initiative.