BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: During a six-day study trip to Brussels, seven top Pakistani academics, think tankers and policy makers discussed solutions to non-traditional security challenges and international cooperation with numerous eminent experts from the EU institutions, European think tanks and NATO.
The Pakistani delegates discussed inter alia the following relevant topics with the following interlocutors:
- The international work of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) with Mr. Markus Ferber, Member of the European Parliament and HSF Chairman,
- EU-Pakistan relations with Mr. Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament, European People's Party (EPP) Group Coordinator of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and EPP Group Spokesman for Foreign Affairs, and
- With H.E. Mr. Zaheer Aslam Janjua, Ambassador of Pakistan to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU,
- Climate Action with Ms. Elina Bardram, Acting Director of International and Mainstreaming and Policy Coordination – Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission,
- NATO-Pakistan relations with Ms. Carmen Romero, Deputy Assistant Secretary General, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO,
- Disinformation, new technologies and citizen participation with Mr. Andreas Aktoudianakis, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre,
- Current political developments with Mr. Nicola De Santis, Head of Engagements Section, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO,
- Practical cooperation through science with Mr. Ettore Marchesoni, Programme Officer, Science for Peace and Security Programme, NATO,
- Agriculture and food security in times of global warming with Mr. Etienne Coyette, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for International Partnerships, Sustainable Agri-Food systems and Fisheries, European Commission, and
- Cyber security and digitization with Mr. Christian Lifländer, Head of Cyber Defence Section, Emerging Security Challenges Division, NATO.
Moreover, the delegates met with other representatives from the European External Action Service, the European Institute for Asian Studies, the HSF Brussels Office, NATO HQ, the European Commission, and with high-level media representatives from Pakistan.
The Pakistani expert delegates included:
- Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, Chairman, Pakistan’s Council of Research in Water Resources,
- Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, Centre for Global & Strategic Studies,
- Prof. Tughral Yamin, Associate Dean, Centre for International Peace & Stability (CIPS) at the National University of Science & Technology (NUST),
- Dr. Muhammad Makki, Head of Department Peace and Conflict Studies, CIPS at NUST,
- Professor Dr. Asif Ali, Vice Chancellor, MNS University of Agriculture, Multan,
- Dr. Summar Iqbal Babar, Assistant Professor, School of Politics & International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University, and
- Mr. Muhammad Taimur Fahad Khan, Research Associate at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.
The delegates were accompanied by several HSF staff from Pakistan, Germany and Brussels, including Mr. Stefan Burkhardt, HSF Head of Division South/Southeast Asia and Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative of HSF in Pakistan.
You may find delegation trip photos at twitter.com/HSF_Pakistan. For more information on HSF Pakistan, please visit pakistan.hss.de. Press contact: islamabad(at)hss.de.