Welcome & Opening:
Franz Vranitzky
Chancellor of Austria ret., Honorary President, Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue
Zoran Zaev
President, Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), Mayor, Strumica Municipality
Hannes Swoboda
MEP ret., President, International Institute for Peace (IIP), Board Member, Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue
Moderation
Ivan Krastev, Chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies/Sofia, Senior Fellow, Institute for Human Sciences (IWM)
“Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?” a Macedonian politician asked me recently. We were in Skopje, his country's capital, where huge public protests have raged over the last year, including demonstrators occupying the government square and, in the Parliament, a nearly yearlong boycott by the political opposition. “Can you imagine being stuck like this for 20 years? This is what happened to us.”
But: for all the worries over the current crisis in Skopje, there is reason for optimism. What everyone should hope for is not a revolution, but a reasonable compromise - one that will be acceptable not only to political leaders but also to the citizens who mistrust these same leaders. The elevator should move again and best if it moves in the direction of Brussels. (Ivan Krastev OpEd in the NYT)