On 6 June 2024, the Japan Chair at ICDS held The First Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum.
The Forum examined the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on the key challenges faced by Japan and other Asian countries in the context of the growing Sino-US rivalry and Sino-Russian alignment. Special attention was given to the growing security interconnection between Asia and Europe amid the continuing war in Ukraine. Panelists debated the restructuring of the US-Japan alliance, the growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait, North Korea’s collaboration with Russia, and Japan’s emergence as a security provider. The discussions further explored Estonian/Baltic and EU perspectives on Indo-Pacific security, as well as the opportunities for security cooperation between the EU, NATO, and like-minded regional players, including Japan. Shared concerns about the challenges to the liberal international order, economic security, and hybrid threats were identified as some of the key drivers of inter-regional collaboration. At the same time, the debate also highlighted the challenges to deepened cooperation, including the question of prioritisation and allocation of resources and the different strategic priorities in both regions.
More information and the conference agenda are available here: https://icds.ee/en/bipf/
Gallery: Flickr
The Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum is the annual flagship event of the Japan Chair at the ICDS. The event provides a venue for high-level experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders to discuss the main security and strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific region and how they relate to the strategic environment in the Baltic-Nordic region and Europe, in general.