HORIZONS Officially Promoted in Belgrade

The Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD) held the official Belgrade launch of its journal of international relations and sustainable development – Horizons.

The magazine was presented by CIRSD President and Horizons Editor-in-Chief Vuk Jeremić alongside former Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou, the Editor-in-Chief of a Serbian daily newspaper Politika Ljiljana Smajlović, and professor Predrag Simić of the Faculty of Political Science at Belgrade University.

“We tried to make this publication in such a way as it could serve as a forum for exchanging views and ideas, as opposed to political positions. I believe that the magazine matches up to world’s most influential and renowned publications covering the same topics,” Jeremić said.

“In order to change the world, it is necessary to change public opinion, which can be achieved through information. That is the goal of this magazine,” argued Kyprianou, who also added that it represents a forum for dialogue on a multilateral level with the aim of solving global challenges.

Mrs. Smajlović reflected on the fact that the magazine is published in English, emphasizing its “fate-determining role” in contemporary world affairs. “I think this is important, because we have to learn how to speak in the language of global diplomacy,” she said.

Professor Simić called the appearance of Horizons “a breath of fresh air, both in terms of Serbian and global production,” especially having in mind the trend of extinguishing intellectual dialogue. “The quagmire in which the world has found itself, leads to the increased usage of political rhetoric, whilst significantly reducing the quantity of ideas. Horizons thus spurs optimism, given that it represents a breath of fresh air in both domestic and international production,” professor Simić said.

The inaugural issue of Horizons features exclusive essays by senior global leaders and policy-makers such as the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the President of Uruguay Jose Mujica, the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn, the Chinese development Minister Li Wei, and a number of former heads of state and government and foreign ministers such as Australia’s Kevin Rudd, Switzerland’s Micheline Calmy-Rey, Italy’s Franco Frattini and Spain’s Miguel Angel Moratinos. Other authors include respected professors and analysts like Jeffrey D. Sachs, Christopher Clark, John Keiger, Ian Bremmer and George Friedman.

Horizons will be published quarterly. Following its Belgrade premiere, CIRSD will hold a second promotional event in early November in New York. The central theme of the second issue will be the state of relations between the West and Russia. The magazine is published in English and its full contents can be accessed here.

The audience at the Belgrade launch was composed of representatives of diplomatic corps, university professors, foreign policy experts, journalists and politicians.

The photo gallery from the Horizons launch can be viewed here.

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