Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics in Cyprus cordially invites you to the international conference 'The Mediterranean and the New Euro-Mediterranean perspectives' to be held on the 9th and 10th October at Holiday Inn in Nicosia.

After the first conference that Daedalos organized in Paris (Sorbonne) on May 31 2008 on “The Union for the Mediterranean: assets and challenges”, under the auspices of the French President, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, this conference will exploit novel tools for analysing the issue of the political, economic and cultural relations between the European world and the countries of the southern bank of the Mediterranean. The conference takes place right at the moment where new visions and new prospects are provided by the project of the Union for the Mediterranean, whose birth was declared in Paris on July 13, 2008.

Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics has successfully organised on 31st May 2008 in the Sorbonne University in Paris a conference on the 'Union for the Mediterranean'.

Since its announcement nearly a year ago by France, the project for the establishment of a Mediterranean Union has caused various contradictory reactions: skepticism and concerns to some, euphoria and voluntarism to others. And that is because the birth of such a geopolitical block is not an easy action, nor a project without strategic, political or economic motives, which do not always contribute to the convergence of interests. The stakes are multiple and major and the interests of the implicated States can be complementary or even antagonistic. ...

Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics and the Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies* at the University of Nicosia have successfully organised a conference on Arab-Israeli Conflict on the 25th January 2008 at the University of Nicosia.

The on-going Arab-Israeli conflict, the longest unresolved conflict in our era, is going through a critical phase. A serious effort towards a settlement now seems underway. The desire exhibited by both sides perhaps indicates both the sobering impact of past failures in efforts for a settlement and the catastrophic prospects of a continuing stalemate. Past accords have thus far failed to produce any lasting settlement and earlier hopes for a serious breakthrough have not yet been realised. The on-going Arab-Israeli conflict, the longest unresolved conflict in our era, is going through a critical phase. A serious effort towards a settlement now seems underway. The desire exhibited by both sides perhaps indicates both the sobering impact of past failures in efforts for a settlement and the catastrophic prospects of a continuing stalemate. Past accords have thus far failed to produce any lasting settlement and earlier hopes for a serious breakthrough have not yet been realised....

It is with great pleasure that I address today such a distinguished audience. I would like to congratulate the “Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics” and the “Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies” of the University of Nicosia for organizing todayΆs conference. The Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics, established in 2006 by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus, is a think-tank, partly financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose mission, amongst other tasks, is to provide independent and impartial analysis and advice on pertinent issues of foreign policy. This is indeed a novelty for Cyprus and we are confident that there will be “added value” from the interaction between our foreign policy bodies with think-tanks and the academia....

It is a great pleasure and honour to welcome you to the first scientific event which Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics is organising in 2008, in this instance jointly, with the Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Nicosia. Please allow me to first say a few words about Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics which may not be known to some of you. The Institute was founded in May 2006 by the Council of Ministers of Cyprus as an independent scientific body managed by a Board of Directors. Its main charter is to promote the study of geopolitical issues, and particularly those having a bearing in the geopolitical vicinity of Cyprus....

It gives me great Pleasure to welcome you to this one day Conference on the Arab-Israeli dispute at the University of Nicosia organized by the Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics and the Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies based at the University. Cyprus as the closest European country to the Middle East and as a place of rich history and heritage is well placed, both geographically and culturally, to play a more active role in International efforts towards securing peace and prosperity in this region and perhaps in the wider world. Impressed by both East and the West in its long history, Cyprus enjoys a unique position to undertake a greater part in bringing various cultures and civilizations closer together. If the old Napoleonic saying that “ a countryΆs foreign policy lies in its geography”, has any ring of truth about it, then inevitably developments in the Middle East have an important bearing on Cyprus. ...