INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
Conference Venue: Technical Chamber of Greece, Conference Room, 1st floor, Nikis 4.
21 May 2015
9:15-9:30 Welcoming remarks:
Nikolaos Georgopoulos, Professor, Rector of the University of Piraeus
Panayiotis Ifestos, Professor, Chairman of the Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus
Efraim Inbar, Professor, Director of Besa Center
9:30-10:00 Opening remarks:
Ambassador Michail Spinellis, Alternate Secretary General of Ministry of Hellenic Foreign
Ministry
10:00-10:15 Coffee Break
10:15-11:15 Panel I: The Strategic Environment of the Eastern Mediterranean
Chair: Ioannis Mazis, Professor, Department of Turkish Studies and Modern Asian Studies,
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Panelists:
Efraim Inbar, Professor, Bar-Ilan University and Director of Besa Center, “The New Strategic
Equation in the Eastern Mediterranean”
Athanasios Platias, Professor, Department of International and European Studies, University of
Piraeus, “Competing Grand Strategies in the Eastern Mediterranean”
Yaacov Amidror, Major General (ret.), “From Libya to Gaza-The Problematic South East Part of the
Mediterranean”
Aristotle Tziampiris, Associate Professor, Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus, “The New Eastern Mediterranean and the Role of Greece”
11:15-11:30 Q & A
11:30-12:30 Panel II. State Perspectives on Eastern Mediterranean Developments
Chair: Efraim Inbar, Professor, Bar-Ilan University and Director of Besa Center
Panelists:
Arye Mekel, Ambassador (ret.), “Greek-Israeli Relations 2010-2015; The Israeli Perspective”
Ioannis Mazis, Professor, Department of Turkish Studies and Modern Asian Studies, National and
Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Islam's Dynamics in the International and European Levels: The
Legitimacy of Islam's Missionary Movement According to Islamic Jurisprudence.”
Efrat Aviv, Bar-Ilan University, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, “The Turkish Left’s Attitude
Toward Syriza”
Ilias Kouskouvelis, Professor, Dean, Department of International and European Studies, University
of Macedonia, “Strategy vs ideology: antagonisms and balancing in the Eastern Mediterranean and
the Middle East”
12:30-12:45 Q & A
12:45-13:45 Panel III. Energy and Competition in the Eastern Mediterranean
Chair: Panayiotis Ifestos, Professor, Chairman of the Department of International and European
Studies, University of Piraeus.
Panelists:
Nikolaos Farantouris, Associate Professor, Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus, “Energy infrastructure projects in Eastern Mediterranean: Institutional and
political aspects”
George Papadopoulos, Research Fellow, Hudson Institute, “U.S. policy and the strategic relations
between Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt. A natural gas and security perspective”
Ioannis Paravantis, Assistant Professor, Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus, “Ecological Security, Energy Poverty and Demographic Change in the
Eastern Mediterranean”
Athanassios Dagoumas, Lecturer, Department of International and European Studies, University of
Piraeus, “Energy Security in the Eastern Mediterranean”
13:45-14:00 Q & A
14:00-15:00 Panel IV. Perspectives on the Eastern Mediterranean
Chair: Haralambos Papasotiriou, Professor, Department of International, European and Area
Studies, Panteion University, “US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean”
Panelists:
Haralambos Papasotiriou, Professor, Department of International, European and Area Studies,
Panteion University, “US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean”
Petros Liacouras, Associate Professor, Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus, “Developments of the Hydrocarbon Exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean”
Spyridon Litsas, Assistant Professor, Department of International and European Studies, University
of Macedonia, “An Anatolian Bull in a Eastern Mediterranean China Shop: Paradoxes, Facts and
Theory in Turkey’s Regional Foreign Policy”
Nikolaos Raptopoulos, Assistant Professor, Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus, “Turkey’s policy towards Islamic radicalism in the Middle East: Risks,
challenges, and ambitions.”
Athanassios Samaras, Assistant Professor, Department of International and European Studies,
University of Piraeus, Sophia Iordanidou, Associate Professor, Open University of Cyprus
“Projected image of Israel and the Arab countries in the news media and intercultural content
analysis”
15:00-15:15 Q & A
End of conference
CONFERENCE MEDIA SPONSOR:
Conference Venue: Technical Chamber of Greece, Conference Room, 1st floor, Nikis 4,