Key topics will include:

The relationship between geopolitical shifts and Europe’s energy security

Challenges in energy infrastructure and regional connectivity projects

Energy trade and investment developments

Realigning the balance between sustainable development and competitiveness

 

Program:

9.00–9.10 AM Opening Remarks

Krisztián László, Director of International Relations at MCC

Csaba Moldicz, Head of the Center for International Economy at MCC

9.10-10.00 AM Keynote Address

“Rethinking Future of Turkic States Organization in the Age of Chaos”

Suay Nilhan Acikalin, Associate Professor at Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University

10.00-11.15 AM Panel I: From Dependency to Diversification

The war in Ukraine has redrawn the energy map of Central Europe. As the EU moves away from Russian hydrocarbons, new dependencies emerge, and maritime gateways like the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas gain strategic weight. The question is whether this trend is sustainable — and how much European competitiveness can bear. This session will explore how shifting alliances and regional cooperation are reshaping energy security.

Participants:

Suay Nilhan Acikalin, Associate Professor at Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University

Misa Djurkovic, Head of the MCC-MKI Center for Geopolitics

László Vasa, Professor at Széchenyi István University, Chief Advisor of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs

Moderator: Borbála Hatházy, International Relations Expert at MCC

 

12.00 – 13.15 PM Panel II: Redrawing the Energy Corridors

Central Europe’s energy infrastructure is being reconfigured through new LNG terminals in Europe, and through southern corridors linking the Caspian, Central Asia, and Türkiye. With the uncertainty of Ukraine’s transit role, this panel will examine the infrastructure and policy choices that will define the region’s energy future.

Participants:

Yongming Huang, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Industrial Economics at Wuhan University

Shahmar Hajiyev, Head of Department at the Center of Analysis of International Relations

Gabor Papp, Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs

Ralph Shoellhammer, Head of the Center for Applied History and IR Theory at MCC

Moderator: Zalán Alkonyi, Research Fellow at the Center for Applied History and IR Theory at MCC

 

14.30 – 15.15 PM Panel III: Investment, Integration, and Industrial Policy

Massive infrastructure projects are reshaping the region’s economy. Central European countries, including Hungary, must balance national sovereignty with regional integration. This panel considers how investment, regulation, and industrial policy will influence competitiveness and growth in the coming decades, and how new partnerships — from Central Asia to the Eastern Mediterranean — could diversify supply and strengthen long-term resilience.

Participants:

Szilárd Boros, Senior Analyst at the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency

Balázs Hendrich, Ambassador, Executive Director of the Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic States in Hungary

Ákos Kovács, Managing Director at DFDS

Strahinja Obrenović, Researcher and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade

Moderator: Damille Devenyi, Researcher at the Center for European Studies at MCC

 

15.15-16.30 PM Panel IV: Clash of Civilizations?

The Central Asian and Caspian regions have become arenas of renewed geopolitical competition where Turkish and Russian ambitions increasingly intersect. While Moscow seeks to maintain its historical influence through political, military, and energy ties, Ankara’s growing engagement challenges traditional power structures. This panel explores the shifting balance between Russia and Türkiye in the region.

Participants:

Dinmuhammed Ametbek, Expert at the Turkic Academy

Aygün Attar, Member of Security and Foreign Policies Council, President Türkiye Azerbaijan Friendship,Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation

Zoltán Egeresi, Associate Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs Research fellow at the National University of Public Services

Péter Pál Kránitz, Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs

Moderator: Mezző Lili Anna, Student at the International Relations School at the MCC

 

17.15 – 18.30 PM Panel V: The Shifting Geopolitics of Energy

Energy is once again at the heart of global geopolitics. The reconfiguration of supply chains after the war in Ukraine, China’s growing role in global energy markets, and the strategic assertiveness of Gulf and Caspian producers are reshaping the balance of power. This panel examines how energy has become a key element of statecraft — from sanctions and infrastructure diplomacy to technological competition over renewables, nuclear, and hydrogen. It also considers how these global shifts influence Central Europe’s strategic room for maneuver and the EU’s broader geopolitical ambitions.

Participants:

László Csicsman, Professor at Corvinus University

Csaba Moldicz, Head of the Center for International Economy at MCC

Eldor Tulyakov, Executive Director at Development Strategy Center

Moderator: Patrik Szeghő, Research Fellow at the MCC-MKI Center for Geopolitics

 

18.30 – 18.45 PM Closing Remarks

Csaba Moldicz, Head of the Center for International Economy at MCC