Jagannath Panda participated in the Skopje Security Forum 2026
June 17, 2026: Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA), participated in the Skopje Security Forum 2026, held on 15 June in Skopje, North Macedonia. Convened under the theme “Architects of Stability: The Security Identity of the Western Balkans,” the forum brought together policymakers, diplomats, security practitioners, military experts, and academics to discuss the evolving security landscape of the Western Balkans and its role within the broader European security architecture.
Dr. Panda joined Panel II: “The Clash of Big Powers at Europe’s Periphery,” where he addressed the growing impact of geopolitical competition on regional and global security. The panel explored the strategic consequences of great-power rivalry, the Russia–Ukraine war, developments in the Middle East, technological competition, hybrid warfare, and the changing nature of contemporary conflict.
During his intervention, Dr. Panda highlighted how Europe’s security environment is increasingly intertwined with developments in the Indo-Pacific. He argued that the intensifying strategic competition involving major powers such as China, Russia, and North Korea is reshaping the global balance of power and creating new challenges for both Europe and Asia. He emphasized that security today must be viewed through a wider transregional lens, where developments in one region can have direct implications for stability and security elsewhere.
The Skopje Security Forum provided an important platform for dialogue in the Western Balkan region among experts and practitioners from across Europe and beyond, including participants from North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Finland, and Sweden. Discussions focused on regional security identity, institutional resilience, crisis management, and policy responses to an increasingly complex international environment.
