The third annual Silk Road Forum took place on 20 and 21 June in Warsaw and was organized by the Development Research Center of the State Council of China (DRC), the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Opening Ceremony of the two-day international conference featured keynote addresses by president Xi Jinping of China and Andrzej Duda of Poland.
Both heads of state emphasized the strategic importance of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), underlining the strong role that Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe could play in its implementation.
The Chinese president also highlighted the importance that the Silk Road Think Tank Network (SiLKS) could play in helping governments study routes and plans for BRI development, align strategies, coordinate policies and design mechanisms, and help the public understand the stakes involved for sustainable prosperity. Vuk Jeremić, CIRSD President and candidate for UN Secretary-General spoke at the invitation-only Welcome Banquet of the Silk Road Forum, stating that "BRI could fundamentally transform the politics and economics of globalization in the 21st century."
As one the co-founders, Jeremić also delivered remarks at the start of the annual meeting of the Silk Road Think Tank Network (SiLKS) together with Li Wei, President of the Development Research Center of the State Council of China.
SiLKS is the world's leading think tank network devoted the the study of the Belt and Road Initiative, with more than 50 founding members, partners, and observers.
Accompanying CIRSD President Jeremić was CIRSD Senior Fellow Damjan Krnjevic Miskovic.
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