Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum 2025 

The Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum 2025, organized by the Japan Chair at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) will take place on

11 June 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia

at Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom 

 

The forum will place the spotlight on critical questions in shifting security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific and their impact on Japan and the Nordic-Baltic region.  

It will discuss key questions such as:  

  • How can the Nordic-Baltic region and Japan best combine forces to sustain the rules-based order?  
  • What is the shared stance towards the US under its new administration?  
  • How does the China-Russia partnership shape the 2025 security landscape?  
  • How are European and Indo-Pacific maritime security linked, and how can both regions promote cooperation?  

 

Join us for a dynamic discussion on these pressing issues.

 

Agenda

 

9.00-9.30

Registration and coffee   

 

9.30-9.50

Welcome and opening remarks   

  • Opening remarks by Kristi Raik, Director of the ICDS  
  • Opening remarks by Koichiro Nakamura, Ambassador of Japan to Estonia  
  • Keynote address by Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia  

  

09.50-11.10

Panel I: “Geopolitical Shifts in the Indo-Pacific Region – Perspectives from Europe and Japan” 

Speakers: 

  • Hideo Suzuki, Ambassador, Representative of the Government of Japan for Public Diplomacy 
  • Ivo Schutte,  Head of the Regional Affairs and Indo-Pacific Division, European External Action Service (EEAS) 
  • Eva Pejsova, Japan Chair, Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) 
  • Tsuyoshi Goroku, Associate Professor, Nishogakusha University 

Moderator:  

  • Bart Gaens, Japan Chair, ICDS 

  

11.10-11.30 

Coffee Break   

 

11.30-12.50

Panel II: “Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific and the Nordic-Baltic Regions ” 

Speakers: 

  • Hideshi Tokuchi, Professor, President of Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) 
  • Céline Pajon, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) 
  • Marek Kohv, Head of Security and Resilience Programme, ICDS 
  • Joel Linnainmäki, Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs  (FIIA) 

Moderator:  

  • Elena Atanassova-Cornelis, Professor, University of Antwerp 

  

12.50-13.00

Closing Remarks by the Japan Chair 

 

13.00-14.00

Lunch buffet 

14.00-15.00

Guided Tour: Discover the Estonia’s Story (with pre-registration)

After the conference, we invite you to join a guided tour in the Vabamu Museum. The museum’s permanent exhibition, Freedom Without Borders, explores Estonia’s journey through Soviet and Nazi occupations, the restoration of independence, and its development into the present day. The exhibition highlights key historical moments from 1939 to today, featuring powerful personal stories and remarkable artifacts that bring Estonia’s past to life. 

 

Speakers

H.E. Mr Hideo Suzuki
Representative of the Government of Japan for Public Diplomacy 

Ambassador Hideo Suzuki was appointed as Representative of the Government of Japan for Public Diplomacy and Ambassador for Global Health in March 2024. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Czech Republic (2020-2024) and is a winner of the Medal of Merit for Diplomacy of the Czech Republic. His other prior positions include: Assistant Minister, Director-General for International Cooperation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) (2019-2020); Ambassador, Assistant Minister, Director-General for Global Issues of MOFA (2017-2019); Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Korea (2015-2017); Deputy Director-General, North American Affairs Bureau, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of MOFA(2014-2015); Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Viet Nam (2011-2014); Minister, Embassy of Japan in United States of America(2008-2011). 　

Ms Celine Pajon
Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research in Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies 

Celine Pajon is Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research in Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies, which he joined in 2008. She also coordinates the research program on Pacific Islands, set up in 2022. Céline is a Senior Researcher with the Japan Chair at Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) and an International Research Fellow with the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) in Tokyo. In 2016, she was a visiting researcher at JIIA, the Japan Institute of International Affairs, the think tank of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A graduate from the Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and Sciences Po Lyon, Céline also studied for two years in Japan, at Waseda University (Tokyo) and Osaka University. 

Dr Elena Atanassova-Cornelis
Professor of International Politics of the Asia-Pacific at the University of Antwerp 

Dr Elena Atanassova-Cornelis is a Professor of International Politics of the Asia-Pacific at the University of Antwerp and the Université Catholique de Louvain, both in Belgium, as well as a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the International Center for Defence and Security (ICDS) in Tallinn, Estonia. Prof. Dr. Atanassova-Cornelis is concurrently an Associate Fellow, Global Fellowship Initiative, at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy in Switzerland and a Visting Professor at the Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University in Japan. Her research interests and expertise include international relations, security and strategic studies with a focus on Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as Asia-Europe relations. Prof. Dr. Atanassova-Cornelis has authored numerous academic articles, book chapters, briefing papers and policy reports, and has extensive experience in academic and executive teaching. She is regularly invited as a speaker at international conferences, high-level expert meetings and policy-oriented seminars, and as a guest lecturer at various universities in both Europe and Asia.

Mr Hideshi Tokuchi
President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) 

Professor Hideshi Tokuchi served as Japan’s first-ever Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs from 2014 to 2015 after completing several senior assignments in the Ministry of Defense, including the Director-General of Defense Policy Bureau, of Budget and Equipment Bureau, of Personnel and Education Bureau, and of Operations Bureau. He has been the President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), an independent think-tank in Tokyo, since 2021. He is also teaching security-related issues at Sophia University and Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Tokyo in 1979, and his Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (M.A.L.D.) degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, in 1986.  

His recent articles include: “The Japan-U.S. Alliance under New Leadership in Tokyo and Washington, DC,” Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, March 28, 2025, https://spfusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Japan-U.S.-Alliance-under-New-Leadership-in-Tokyo-and-Washington-DC_Hideshi-Tokuchi.pdf.

Dr Eva Pejsova
Japan Chair at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Brussels School of Governance 

Eva Pejsova holds the Japan Chair at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG). Until 2019, Dr Pejsova was Senior Analyst for Asia at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), the EU’s official agency for foreign and security policy research and analysis. She obtained her PhD in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore and has previously worked with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Prime Minister’s Office, the OECD, and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). Dr Pejsova regularly lectures at SciencesPo (Paris School of International Affairs) in Paris, the Geneva Centre for Security Studies (GCSP), as well as briefs the Members of the European Parliament. Her research focuses on Indo-Pacific security matters, notably in the field of maritime security, the EU’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific, EU – Japan relations, and Japan’s foreign and security policy.

Mr Tsuyoshi Goroku
Associate Professor of International Relations at Nishogakusha University (Tokyo) 

Tsuyoshi Goroku is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Nishogakusha University (Tokyo). His research interests include NATO, European security, deterrence and arms control, and Japan-Europe security relations. He holds a B.A and M.A. from Keio University and spent two tears (2015-2016) living in Kyiv. Prior to his current position, he served as an Assistant Professor at Keio University and a part-time lecturer at the Command and Staff College of Japan Maritime SDF. He is presently involved in several research initiatives, including a project at the Japan Institute of International Affairs and the RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES) at the University of Tokyo, where he heads a research group examining Japanese public opinion on security and defense issues. He is also a visiting scholar at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and a part-time lecturer at the National Institute for Defense Studies. Currently, he is based in Paris as a Visiting Scholar at the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS) for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Mr Joel Linnainmäki
Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs 

Joel Linnainmäki is a Research Fellow in the Finnish foreign policy, Northern European security, and NATO research programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His recent research explores NATO’s alliance policy, defense cooperation in the Nordics, foreign policy schools of thought in Finland, and the impact of geoeconomic risks on security and supply in Finland and the European Union. Linnainmäki is particularly well-read in Finnish foreign policy, security policy and defense policy. During the 2019–2023 government, he worked as the Special Advisor to Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and oversaw preparations for Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy, the Government Report on Finnish Foreign Policy, and the Report on Finland’s Accession to NATO. He has also worked at the Parliament of Finland and several non-governmental organizations.

Mr Marek Kohv
Head of Security & Resilience Programme at the ICDS 

Marek Kohv joined the ICDS in 2024 as a 20-year security and national defence veteran. He’s last position in the public sector was Head of Analysis at the Government Office’s National Security and Defense Coordination Bureau. Among his other duties, Marek Kohv was in charge of several analytical products that aimed to maintain situational awarness for the Prime Minister and for Government ministers. Throughout his career, Marek Kohv has also served in the Defense Forces in various positions, including in the Military Intelligence Centre and Joint Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces. He has participated in several foreign operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Marek Kohv is an alumnus of the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School as a Psychological Operations officer. He holds a master’s degree in European Union and international law from Tallinn University of Technology.

Dr Bart Gaens
Japan Chair at the ICDS

Dr Bart Gaens is also Senior Research Fellow in the Global Security and Governance Research Program at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) in Helsinki. In addition, he holds the title of Docent at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki. In the past he has worked as Project Director for FIIA’s Centre on US Politics and Power (CUSPP), as Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Helsinki, and as Specially-Appointed Associate Professor at Osaka University, Japan. He has published widely on Japan’s foreign policy and regional role; Europe-Asia inter-regionalism and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process; India’s foreign policy and relations with the EU; domestic politics in Myanmar; and security-related issues in the Indo-Pacific region. He has also (co-)edited volumes and reports on connectivity, EU-Asia relations, the US-China rivalry, transatlantic relations, and Japan’s search for strategic partnerships.

Mr Ivo Schutte
Head of the Regional Affairs and Indo-Pacific Division, European External Action Service (EEAS) 

Ivo Schutte has worked on foreign policy in the EU institutions for more than 20 years, alternating between Europe’s immediate neighbourhood and Asia and the Pacific. In the European Commission, he covered accession negotiations with candidate countries, notably Turkey. In the European External Action Service, he was team leader for Ukraine, right-hand man to the Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific, and Deputy Head of Division for South Asia and later the Western Balkans. He is currently Head of the Asia Regional and Indo-Pacific Division. Ivo Schutte is a Dutch national.