H.E. Ms. BATTSETSEG Batmunkh Foreign Minister of Mongolia

Ms. Battsetseg Batmunkh graduated the National University of Mongolia with Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations. Also, she graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the Institute of Finance and Economics in Mongolia and Master’s Degree in Business Administration in Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. Ms. Battsetseg Batmunkh worked as Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Mongolia between 2016-2020, and has been working as the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Mongolia since January 2021.

Mr. MUNKHTUSHIG Lkhanaajav, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia

Mr. Munkhtushig Lkhanaajav graduated from the China Foreign Affairs University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Diplomacy in 2007. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Law from Peking University in 2016. Mr. Munkhtushig began his diplomatic career in 2008 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, serving in the Protocol Division and the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs. From 2011 to 2014, he worked as Attaché, Consul, and Third Secretary at the Embassy of Mongolia in Sweden. He later served as Second Secretary at the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, Deputy Director and Director of the Consular Department, and from 2021 to June 2024, as Deputy Head of Mission and Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of Mongolia in China. Since August 2024, he has been serving as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. He holds the diplomatic rank of First Deputy and speaks Chinese and English.

Dr.MASHBAT Otgonbayar, Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies

Dr. O.Mashbat graduated from the National University of Mongolia with a degree in Law. He holds a Master’s Degree in Law from the same university, a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, USA, and a Doctor of Law (PhD) from Shihihutug University. He has over 25 years of experience in Mongolia’s national security, foreign policy, defense policy, strategic studies, and academia, and is a specialist in national security and strategic policy. He has held advisory, senior, research, and leadership positions at key institutions, including the National Security Council of Mongolia, the Institute for Strategic Studies, the Institute for Security Studies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National University of Mongolia.

Ms. ULZIIBAYAR Vangansuren, Acting Director-General, Department of Multilateral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia

Ms. Ulziibayar Vangansuren graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with BA degree in French & Russian languages. She also holds MPA degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, and Ph.D degree in Public Management from the National Academy of Governance. Since 2012 she has worked as Counsellor, Deputy Director-General and Director-General of the Department of Multilateral Cooperation, MFA, and was posted twice to the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations in New York. During her diplomatic career she worked on a wide range of issues including peace and security, WPS, sustainable development, LLDCs, social development, gender and human rights.

Dr. MENDEE Jargalsaikhan – Mongolia

Dr. Mendee graduated from the Mongolian National Defense University and received his MAs from the US Naval Postgraduate School and the University of British Columbia. He obtained his PhD in political science from the University of British Columbia. Mendee served as political science and language instructor at the National Defense University, the Chief of the Foreign Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Defense, Defense Attaché at the Embassy of Mongolia in Washington, DC, senior expert at the Institute for Strategic Studies and Deputy Director of the Institute for Defense Analysis. He was the first Senior National Representative at the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, the Asia Studies Visiting Fellow at the East West Center in Washington, and Post Graduate Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Dr. KHANDSUREN Beejin – Mongolia

Dr. Khandsuren graduated from the Mongolian National Defense University (MNDU) as a Military Command, Tactics, and Communications Officer, and as a Communications Engineer. She received her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Military Science from the Mongolian National Defense University. She received training in “Civil-Military Relations” in the Republic of Indonesia, “Cybersecurity” in the French Republic, and “Advanced Security Cooperation” in the United States of America. Khandsuren previously served at the MNDU’s Institute of Defense Studies. While at MNDU, she worked as a Communication Lecturer, an Associate of Academic Affairs, a Senior Researcher, and a professor. Positions held at other academic institutions include serving as Associate and Chief of Academic Affairs at the UFE, GLU, and GMIT. She has worked as a Member of the Masters and Doctoral Defense Council at both MNDU and GLU. In addition, she has worked as a Junior Researcher and Member of the Science and Technology Council of the Mongolian Ministry of Defense.

MS. MANDKHAI Batsuren - Mongolia

Ms. Mandkhai Batsuren is the Head of the Foreign Relations department at the Mongolian People’s Party. Ms. Mandkhai Batsuren entered the foreign service in 2008. Since then, she has been serving at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and has been working in different capacities in the Ministry, and in diplomatic Missions abroad. Her last postion was the Director-General of Department of Multilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. Ms. Mandkhai Batsuren holds a BA in International Relations from the Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO), and a MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC).

Mr. Władysław Teofil BARTOSZEWSKI – Poland

Mr. Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski is the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Rear Admiral Jérôme THEILLIER – France

Jérôme THEILLIER, Rear Admiral of the joint Quartermaster (Admiral), is Head of the Office for International Security Affairs at the Directorate-General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS) of the French Ministry for the Armed Forces in Paris since August 2025. Prior to his current assignment, he was Defense Attaché at the French Embassy in Italy and Deputy Head of the Special Staff of the President of the French Republic.

Dr. GANBOLD Baasanjav – United Nations

Dr. Ganbold Baasanjav is the Head of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) East and North-East Asia Office based in Incheon, Republic of Korea. Prior to joining ESCAP in 2019, Dr. Ganbold worked extensively for the government of Mongolia as a career diplomat, serving as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2013-2018) and Vietnam (2004-2008), and more recently as the Ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Sustainable Development. Earlier he served as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director-General of the Departments of Public Affairs and Asia and the Pacific respectively, and in the Embassy of Mongolia in Pyongyang, DPR of Korea. He earned his BA in International Relations from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Russia, MA in Political Science from University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, and PhD in Law from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Republic of Korea.

Mr. BUYANDELGER Davaajantsan – Mongolia

Buyandelger Davaajantsan is a research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS). His research focuses on international and East Asian security, Inner Asian studies, and non-traditional and emerging security challenges. He works across Mongolian, English, and Russian. He holds a Master of International Affairs from Texas A&M University. Previously, he worked in Mongolian Studies and the private sector.

Amb. ENKHSAIKHAN Jargalsaikhan - Mongolia

Amb. Jargalsaikhan Enkhsaikhan is the chairman of Mongolian NGO Blue Banner and former Mongolia ambassador to the UN. He is an international lawyer and diplomat. As a diplomat he served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, represented his country in the Soviet Union/Russian Federation, Austria, Italy, Croatia, at the United Nations in New York, and at international organizations based in Vienna. He also served as the foreign policy and legal advisor to the first democratically elected president of Mongolia and as the executive secretary of the National Security Council of Mongolia when the State Great Hural (parliament) considered and adopted the country’s first framework for national security, foreign policy, and military doctrine in 1994.

Mr. Eric BROWN – United States

Eric Brown has been studying the long term implications of the changing geopolitical climate. He is a senior research scientist at William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, where he writes and teaches about world affairs, history and culture, alternative futures, and strategy. He is also research director of the Gates Global Policy Center. Brown teaches in W&M’s Global Scholars program on U.S.-China relations, India, national security, and Statecraft, and he is also faculty director of the Geopolitics of Technology Initiative, which aims to build a better Built World. His focus now is on the futures of the Global South. From 2004-2024, Brown was a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. There, he led research and analysis projects on alternative futures, China, India, the Middle East, and the Himalayas. He has worked throughout Eurasia and parts of Africa on security, irregular competition, development, and diplomatic issues. He is a trustee of the American University of Iraq at Sulaimani.

Mr. Jonathan MILLER - Canada

Jonathan Miller is an international affairs professional with expertise on security, defense and geo-economic issues in the Indo-Pacific. He has held a variety of positions in the private and public sector. Currently, he is a senior fellow with the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). Miller is also senior fellow and director of the Foreign Affairs, National Defence and National Security program at the Ottawa-based Macdonald Laurier Institute, Senior Fellow on East Asia for the Tokyo-based Asian Forum Japan and the Director and co-founder of the Council on International Policy. He also holds appointments as Canada’s ASEAN Regional Forum Expert and Eminent Person (EEP) and as a Responsible Leader for the BMW Foundation.

Dr. Jun Yan CHANG - Singapore

Jun Yan CHANG is Assistant Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. He has published on international and regional security, his area of focus, in various academic journals and newspapers. He has also given talks and presentations in this area across five continents.

Dr. Konstantinas ANDRIJAUSKAS – Lithuania

Dr Konstantinas Andrijauskas is Associate Professor of Asian Studies and International Politics at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University and Associate Expert at the Easter Europe Studies Centre (EESC) in Lithuania. He is former Senior Visiting Scholar at China’s Fudan (Shanghai, 2011) and Zhejiang (Hangzhou, 2013) Universities, as well as at Columbia University (New York, USA, 2017, Fulbright Scholar Program). He is author of two books on contemporary Sino-Russian-Indian relations (2016) and on the history of pre-modern non-European civilizations (2018).

Dr. OTGONBAYAR Uuye – Mongolia

Otgonbayar is a mathematician by training and serves as the Head of AI at AND Systems, where he leads its machine learning and artificial intelligence work. His research focuses on noncommutative geometry and noncommutative algebraic topology, including index theory, K-theory, and KK-theory. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Tokyo and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. He has held research positions at the Centre for Symmetry and Deformation in Copenhagen and in the Mathematical Physics group at Cardiff University, winning several grants including one from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Ms. Weiwei ZHANG - China

Zhang Weiwei is Deputy Director and Associate Research Fellow at the Department for International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). Her research focuses on power relations in the Asia-Pacific region, East Asian regional cooperation, and China's public diplomacy.

Dr. Junghyun YOON – South Korea

Dr. Junghyun Yoon is currently serving as a Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), and previously worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI). He received his Ph.D. in International Relations from Seoul National University, and his areas of expertise include security issues related to emerging technologies such as AI, economic security, and future risk studies. His major publications include “The U.S.-China Great Power AI Order and South Korea’s Middle Power Diplomatic Strategy” (2025), “National Security Risks and Response Strategies of Quantum Science and Technology” (2024), “Cyber Peace in the Era of Emerging Security” (2023), “National Security Implications of Generative AI” (2023), “Restructuring of Semiconductor Supply Chains in the Age of Techno-Geopolitics and Response Strategies” (2022). He is particularly interested in interdisciplinary research that bridges science and technology with the humanities and social sciences.

Amb. Robyug PARK – South Korea

Ambassador PARK Ro-byug served at several overseas posts including the US, Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine, and Russia. He worked as Chief Negotiator on the amendment of the ROK-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement and completed successfully the four-year talks. He is currently a board member of the Asia Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) and a special professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. He earned a B.A. at the International Relations Department of Seoul National University . He also received a Diploma of the Graduate Program at London School of Economics and Political Science, and Ph.D. in History at Diplomatic Academy of Russia. He was a visiting fellow at Georgetown University. Dr. Park published two books in Korean: “Twenty Years of Economic Relations between Korea and Russia (1884-1903)” in 1993, and “Paradigms of International Relations” in 2009.

Dr. Junghoo PARK – South Korea

Junghoo Park holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the National University of Mongolia and is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Asia Center, Seoul National University. He has served as an Expert Advisor to the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning and to the Presidential Committees on Autonomy and Decentralization and on Northern Economic Cooperation. He has also worked as a researcher at the Korea Development Institute and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.

Ms. Marwa SHABBAR - ICRC

Marwa Shabbar has over 14 years of professional experience which includes the private sector, academia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Marwa holds a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice and Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) from Flinders University and a Master of International Law from Australian National University (ANU). Marwa has more than 7 years of legal practice experience in Australia in both State and Federal jurisdiction. In addition, Marwa has also taught law at various universities in Australia including Flinders University, College of Law and Swinburne Online University. Marwa joined the ICRC in 2019 where she worked in Israel and the Occupied Territories, Afghanistan and Libya from 2019-2022. In January 2023, Marwa took over as the Head of Legal Department of the Regional Delegation for East Asia. In her regional position she covers People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea and Mongolia.

Dr. BAVUUDORJ Ovgor - Mongolia

Bavuudorj is an energy systems scholar and power-system engineer with a PhD in Energy Engineering and over 20 years of experience driving the energy transition. His work bridges rigorous technical and financial modeling of solar PV and battery storage systems with high-level policy design for decarbonization. Previously, as Director of the Renewable Energy Division of Mongolia’s Ministry of Energy, he led reforms that introduced the country's first large-scale storage and a competitive renewable energy auctioning scheme. He also maintains sustained research and advisory engagements with major global institutions, including the UNDP, ADB, World Bank, GIZ, GGGI, IRENA, and the Climate Investment Fund. A core focus of his current work is advancing Asian power interconnection—specifically green power corridors linking Northeast and Central Asia, Gobitec, and the Asian Super Grid concept—as a pathway to a secure and affordable regional energy transition.

Dr. Robin GEISS – United Nations

Robin Geiss is Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres in April 2021. His work focuses on global security, disarmament, new technologies, and international humanitarian law, and he has edited the Oxford Handbook on the International Law of Global Security and the Research Handbook on Warfare and Artificial Intelligence. He holds a Ph.D. in international law from the University of Kiel and a master's from New York University. He previously held senior positions at the University of Glasgow, the Geneva Academy, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Dr. Jagannath PANDA – India/Sweden

PDr. Jagannath Panda is the Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), Sweden. Dr. Panda is a Senior Fellow at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies in the Netherlands. As a senior expert on East Asia and Indo-Pacific affairs, Prof. Panda has testified to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission at the US Congress on ‘China and South Asia’. He is the Series Editor for Routledge Studies on Think Asia. Dr. Panda is named as one of the Strategic Affairs Thinkers of the Next Decade by The Print, and is named as one of the top experts in Global Affairs and Diplomacy from Sweden by Petelgo.

Mr. DULGUUN Damdin-Od – United Nations

Dulguun Damdin-Od is Executive Director of the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries (ITTLLDC), the first international intergovernmental institution headquartered in Mongolia. He was elected to the position by the Board of Governors in 2022, having previously served as Research Coordinator from 2014 and Director of Operations from 2019. His work focuses on the development challenges of landlocked developing countries, including trade facilitation, transit and transport, regional integration, and resilience. He holds an MBA in International Management from the International University of Japan. Earlier in his career, he held positions at the Mongolian Youth Federation, the Ministry of Mining of Mongolia, and served as national consultant for the World Bank's Mining Infrastructure Investment Support Project.

Dr. Kanatbek Aziz - Kyrgyzstan

Kanatbek Aziz is Director of the Research Institute of Geopolitics and Strategy of Kyrgyzstan. His work focuses on Central Asian regional cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, water and energy security. He previously served as Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, appointed in 2022, and as Deputy Chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic. He holds a doctorate in Political and Legal Sciences and was elected to the Asian Academy of Sciences (Hong Kong) in 2025.

Mr. Peter SEMNEBY - Sweden

Peter Semneby is currently the Swedish Government's Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula. Actively engaged in conflict resolution and mediation for more than 20 years: as Head of OSCE missions in Latvia and Croatia, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus, Swedish ambassador in Afghanistan and Lebanon, chargé d'affaries in Syria, special envoy for the conflicts in Yemen and Libya. Served in the Swedish embassies in Moscow and Kyiv immediately before and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Ivan BAZHENOV- The Russian Institute for Strategic Studies.

Mr. Ivan Bazhenov is a leading expert in the field of energy at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS). He graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University with Master’s degree (equivalent) in history in 2007. He has been working at RISS for ten years. His research addresses global and regional energy security issues, oil & gas markets and main aspects of the electric power industry development with a special focus on low-carbon solutions.

Dr. Arnaud LEVEAU - France

Arnaud is the President of "Asia Centre", France’s top Asia focused think tank. With nearly 30 years of regional experience, he’s worked across academia, diplomacy, and strategy. A Ph.D. in Political Science, he’s also a professor at Paris Dauphine University, founder of Alta Strategies.

Dr. Takeyuki HASEGAWA – Japan

Senior Fellow, America, Europe, and Russia Division, Regional Studies Department, National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Ministry of Defense Japan Dr. Hasegawa has focused his research primarily on Russian politics, particularly development of Presidential power under Putin administration. He holds B.A. in Foreign Studies from Sophia University, and M.A. and Ph.D. from Tohoku University. He worked as Cooperative Research Fellow in Hiroshima Peace Institute, Hiroshima City University from April 2017 to March 2018. His publications in English include “Russia’s Constitutional Reform in the Second Putin Administration: Presidential Power in the Russian Political System,” Security & Strategy, January 2023; “Russian Presidential Power in the Putin Era and the recent Discussion on Constitutional Revisions,” NIDS Briefing Memo, January 2020; and etc.

Mr. Leo ZENG – Australia

Mr. Leo Zeng is Ambassador of Australia to Mongolia. Mr. Zeng is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and most recently Director, Graduate and Early Careers Development. Previously, he managed some of Australia’s most complex and high-profile consular cases as Director, Consular Operations Asia (2021-2023). He has served overseas as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Belgrade (2018 – 2021), with earlier postings in Mumbai (2013-2016) and Seoul (2008-2011). He has also undertaken short-term assignments in Australian missions in Mexico City and Shanghai. Prior to joining DFAT in 2006, Mr Zeng worked as an auditor and business analyst with EY and Deloitte. He worked with the World Bank and UNDP on compliance and governance capacity building in Timor Leste during 2004 to 2005. Mr Zeng speaks professional Mandarin and Cantonese, and social Korean. He holds a Bachelor of Business, Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting, and an MBA.

Mr. Andrew BERRYMAN – Australia

Mr. Andrew Berryman is Deputy Head of Mission – Australian Embassy in Mongolia. Mr. Berryman has 20 years’ experience working in the Australian public sector including postings to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Thursday Island. He has extensive experience working in the Australian Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in international policy, program management and development roles. Mr Berryman served as the Strategic Advisor to the PNG Department of Defence under the Defence Cooperation Program from 2017 to 2020 and Head of the Torres Strait Treaty Liaison Office from 2021-2024. On 19 August 2024 Mr Berryman commenced as Deputy Head of Mission to the Australian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Mr. Stephen DOUST – Canada

Stephen Doust, Ambassador of Canada to Mongolia Stephen Doust (BA [East Asian Area Studies], University of British Columbia, 1991; LLB, University of Toronto, 1996) practiced law in Vancouver, British Columbia, before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. At Headquarters, he has worked in the Legal Division, where his duties included heading the Canadian delegation to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Working Group on Bribery. He has also worked as deputy director in the Central America and Caribbean Division, including time as acting director, as deputy director in the Intergovernmental Affairs Division and as deputy director in the Hemispheric Policy Division. He served in Tokyo; in Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago); in Washington, D.C., at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the Organization of American States; and in Guangzhou. He served in Tokyo, again, from 2020 to 2025. In 2025, he was appointed as Ambassador of Canada to Mongolia.

Mr. Gregor KOZOVINC - Slovenia

HMr. Gregor Kozovinc is currently serving as Department for Global Challenges, global governance and Green Group expert in Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Republic of Slovenia. His previous experience includes Department for Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania, head of department and diplomatic posts in Canada, Australia, Slovakia.

Dr. Alexander ZHELEZNIAKOV – Russia

Chief Research Fellow, Chair of the Mongolian Studies Sector, Doctor of Political Science, Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences (ICCA RAS).

Mr. Sviatoslav NIKIFOROV – Russia

WSenior Research Fellow, Sector for Mongolian Studies, Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences (ICCA RAS), Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Candidate of Legal Sciences.

Dr. Yoko IWAMA – Japan

Yoko Iwama is Professor of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). She is also the director of Security and Strategy Program (SSP) at GRIPS. She graduated from Kyoto University in 1986 and earned her PhD in Law at the University. She joined GRIPS in 2000 and was appointed Professor in 2009. She has served on numerous government committees. Her publications include John Baylis and Yoko Iwama (eds.) Joining the Non-Proliferation Treaty: Deterrence, Non-Proliferation and the American Alliance, (Routledge 2018); Yoko Iwama (ed.) The Realities of Nuclear Sharing: NATO’s Experience and Japan (Shinzansha, 2023 in Japanese). She received the 2022 Inoki Masamichi Prize of Japan Society for Security Studies for her book, The 1968 Global Nuclear Order and West Germany (Yuhikaku, 2021 in Japanese). She is a regular commentator of Nikkei Shimbun and reviewer of books in Mainichi Shimbun.

Ms. Signe BRUDESET – Norway

Director General of the MFA Regional Department Oslo, former Ambassador to Mongolia, China and Japan.

Ms. Gry-Irene SKORSTAD – Norway

Ms. Skorstad is a Norwegian diplomat, joined the MFA in 2007. Previous postings in China, Japan and France. Political Counsellor at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing since 2022.

Mr. Petro KLYMYSHYN - Ukraine

Colonel Petro KLYMYSHYN Defence Attaché to the Embassy of Ukraine in the PRC (since September 2020) and Mongolia with a residence in Beijing (since January 2021) Master degree in Operational art, National Defence Academy of Ukraine (2008) PhD in Political science, National Defence University of Ukraine (2014) Languages: Ukrainian (mother tongue), English and Russian (fluent), Chinese (able to communicate) Married with two kids.

Mr. Markus LEITNER – Switzerland

Deputy State Secretary for Asia Pacific Division at Swiss MFA, former Swiss Ambassador in London, Teheran and Cairo.

Mr Michelangelo CHINI – Switzerland

Deputy Regional Coordinator for East Asia (Swiss MFA).

Mr. Roland HONEKAMP – EU

Deputy Chief of Mission Delegation of the European Union in Seoul, Mr. Roland Honekamp started his assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Delegation of the European Union in Seoul in August 2025. He is an official with the External Action Service of the European Union (EEAS), which he joined at its creation in 2011. Mr. Honekamp most recently served as Deputy Head of Division responsible for Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands in Brussels. In that capacity, he contributed to the organization of bilateral Summits and leaders meetings with key partners; G7/G20/UN coordination; the negotiation of the EU’s security and defense partnerships; and DPRK issues. Previously, he served as Head of Political Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan in Tokyo, from 2019 to 2023. In Brussels, he has held various positions in the departments responsible for Asia-Pacific and for Central Asia, as well as in economic policy making. From 2011 to 2015 he was posted to Russia, as counsellor at the Delegation of the European Union in Moscow. Before joining the foreign service of the European Union in 2011, Mr. Honekamp was an official at the European Commission in Brussels.

Mr. Olli RUOHOMÄKI - Finland

Senior Advisor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Senior Fellow, Finnish Institute for International Affairs Deputy Director for Asia, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Served with the United Nations in South-east Asia in the 1990s.

Ms. Emma Coïc – France

Emma Coïc is policy officer for North-East Asia (Japan, Korea, Mongolia) at the Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS) of the French Ministry for Armed Forces. She holds two MA in Political Science (Sciences Po Aix and the University of Freiburg in Germany) and has previous work experiences in South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Ms. Amandine CROS – France

Non resident defense attaché to Mongolia.

Mr. Rustem MUSTAFIN – Kazakhstan

Head of the Center for Digital Social Sciences, Lead Researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Mr. Matthew WITTENSTEIN – United States

Matthew Wittenstein is Chief of Section for Energy Connectivity at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP). Matthew supports member States in their efforts improve the sustainability and security of their energy systems through increased cross-border power system integration, and by enabling efforts to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of critical raw materials. Recent work includes capacity building for energy regulators and utilities in South East Asia, an assessment of the potential to develop a “green power corridor” in North-East Asia, and supporting increased cooperation on sustainable energy among the countries of the Pacific. Matthew is also ESCAP’s focal point for the global Working Group on Transforming the Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development. Prior to joining the UN, Matthew was a Senior Electricity Analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA), where he focused on the economics of generation, the challenges of encouraging investment in clean energy technologies, and electricity market design. From 2011 to 2014, he was a Fellow at the US Department of Energy. Matthew holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, with a concentration in international economic policy.

Dr. Niklas SWANSTRÖM – Sweden

Dr. Niklas Swanström is the Director of the Institute for Security and Development Policy, and one of its co-founders. He is a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Senior Associate Research Fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). His main areas of expertise are Supply Chain Security, Cyber Warfare and disinformation; Chinese foreign policy and security in Northeast Asia; the Belt and Road Initiative, traditional and non-traditional security threats and its effect on regional and national security as well as conflict prevention, conflict management.

Mr. Dauren ABEN – Kazakhstan

Mr. Dauren Aben is the Deputy Director at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In his position, Mr. Aben coordinates the Institute’s analytical work on issues related to global politics, international security, and Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Kainar University (1999) and a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (2003). Between 2003 and 2009, Dauren worked as the Program Coordinator and Executive Director of the Almaty office of the Middlebury Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. His previous employments also include positions at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Nazarbayev University, and the Eurasian Research Institute. Mr. Aben’s research interests include nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear security, and export controls, as well as various aspects of regional security and cooperation in Central Asia and the Caucasus, reflected in a number of academic publications.

Mr. Alisher TASTENOV – Kazakhstan

Mr. Alisher Tastenov represents Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He is a Master of Political Science, specializes in Asian Studies, with a focus on Central Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and Russia.

Mr. Andrei RZHEUSSKY – Belarus

Mr. Andrei Rzheussky, career diplomat, has been served as a diplomat from 1994 till 2024. Held various positions (second, first secretary, Counselor) in the central office and abroad. Served at the Embassies of Belarus in the United States, South Africa and India. Participated in two OSCE observation missions as an international observer from Belarus, in Georgia in 2003-2004, and in Ukraine in 2015-2016. Most recent position at the Embassy of Belarus in India was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of India (2018-2024). Currently served as a Chief Advisor of the Asia, Africa, and Latin America Division of the Foreign Policy Department of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies of the Republic of Belarus.

Mr. Ken ENGLAND – Canada

Ken ENGLAND is a career diplomat who has served with Canada’s foreign ministry since 2001. He assumed his current role as Director of the Northeast Asia Division in fall 2024, where he oversees Canada’s relations with Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and the DPRK. Prior to this, Ken was Director for Foreign Relations at Public Safety Canada during 2022-2024. Ken has previously held a mix of executive and officer-level positions at GAC, in various Geographic divisions and within GAC’s Intelligence Bureau. He served overseas most recently at Canada’s High Commission in London during 2018-2022 and has previously been posted to Washington, DC and New York City. As part of a foreign service family, Ken spent his youth in Austria, Egypt, Poland and France. He is married with five children.

Mr. Christian Louie BELLEZA – Philippines

Mr. Louie A. Belleza is the Head of the Mongolia Desk and Head of Consular Operations at the Philippine Embassy in Beijing. He was previously assigned as Attache at the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. He has held various roles in the Department of Foreign Affairs, including Director for Migration Affairs (Americas and Europe), Assistant Director for the Gulf States Division, Principal Assistant for ASEAN Political Security Community, and Desk Officer for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. He holds degrees in Peace and Conflict Studies and Human Resources Management.

Mr. Marshall Louis ALFEREZ - Philippines

Marshall Louis M. Alferez is the Assistant Secretary (Director General) for Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. Prior to this, he was the Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs. He served as a Vice President, representing the PHL, of the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in France in June 2025. His most recent foreign posting was in Guangzhou where he served as the PHL Consul General from 2018-2024. He also served in the PHL Embassies in Riyadh as Minister and Consul General, in London as Minister and Consul General, and in Bangkok as First Secretary and Consul, and Alternate Permanent Representative to UN-ESCAP. He also served in the Home Office as the Executive Director of the American Affairs Office, Director and Acting Executive Director of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Office, and Director of ASEAN Affairs Office. Assistant Secretary Alferez is a conferee of the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Officer. He has been a regular participant in national maritime policy meetings particularly on the West PHL Sea, tapped as a resource person on the law of the sea in policy circles, the legislature and universities. He is also a lecturer in the Law of the Sea Academy of the Foreign Service Institute.

Ms. Carla Camille PALMA-SOLIS – Philippines

Carla Camille C. Palma-Solis is currently serving as Attaché at the Political Section of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Beijing, China, where she handles portfolios related to Mongolia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and China’s foreign policy. She has experience in political, regional, consular, and administrative affairs, having previously served at the DFA Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs and the DFA Office of Consular Affairs-NCR West.

Mr. Lorenz Anthony FERNANDO – Philippines

Lorenz Anthony T. Fernando is a Foreign Service Officer of the Republic of the Philippines, currently serving at the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs, North Asia Division. He previously worked on export control and nonproliferation at the Department of Trade and Industry. He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Dr. Shu UCHIDA – Japan

Dr. Shu Uchida is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo. He holds a PhD in International Public Policy from Osaka University. His research examines EU enlargement, contested sovereignty, and geopolitical competition in the post-Soviet space, with a particular focus on the South Caucasus. He has held research and visiting positions at Harvard University and the University of Coimbra as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, and previously served as an Associate Professor at Waseda University, Japan. Prior to academia, he served as an attaché at the Embassy of Japan in Georgia and as an OSCE/ODIHR election observer. He also serves as a Refugee Examination Counsellor at Japan’s Immigration Services Agency, Ministry of Justice.

Dr. Satoru MIYAMOTO - Japan

Satoru MIYAMOTO is a professor at Seigakuin University and a senior associate member at the ROLES of the University of Tokyo. He specializes in North Korean studies, security in Northeast Asia. He is the author of books and numerous research papers on North Korean politics, foreign policy. He is a renowned North Korea politics and international relations researcher in Japan. He is also attempting to establish empirical studies of North Korea in history and political science. He earned his master's degree from Seoul National University and his doctorate from Kobe University. He is fluent in Japanese, Korean, and English.

Mr. Mohamed AL-DEHAIMI - Qatar

Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Mongolia (Non resident)

Mr. Ahmed AL-MOHAMMADI - Qatar

Second secretary of Embassy of the State of Qatar to Mongolia (Non resident).

Mr. Bernhard ALTERSBERGER – Germany

He started his military career in 1980 with the German Airforce and studied Business Administration at the German Armed Forces University. After finishing his flight training, he served as a C-160 Transport Pilot with more than 3000 flight hours. Graduating from the General Staff Course, he served as Commander of an Air Transport Wing, followed by assignments at the MoD. He attended the Master Program for Int. Politics and Strategy at the National War College in Washington D.C. and served as the Air Attaché/ Dep. Defense Attaché to the USA, followed by another assignment at the+ MoD as Branch Head International Affairs/ Attaché Affairs. Since 2023 he is the German Defense Attaché to China and Mongolia.

Mr. Nico HUELSHOFF – Germany

He started his military career in 1991 with the Armored Artillery and studied History and Social Sciences at the Armed Forces University. He served most of his time in the German-French-Brigade before attending the General Staff Course. After assignments at the Int. Military Staff at NATO HQ, the MoD in Berlin and the Joint Support Command, he was the German Defense Attaché to Canada from 2016 to 2019. He then worked at the NATO/EU Defense Planning Branch at the MoD and since 2024 he is the German Army Attaché to China and Mongolia.

Dr. Masaki NAKAMURA – Japan

He graduated from Waseda University (BA in History and Geography), studied in the Master's and Doctoral programs at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, and served as a research associate at the Nagoya University Center for Asian Legal Exchange and a project lecturer at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Law. He is currently a professor at Nagoya University of Economics. His specialty is the history of Mongolian constitutions.

Dr. Sheha YADAV – India

Dr. Sneha Yadav is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education (CeRSSE), JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru, India. She holds a Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She completed her M.A. in Political Science with specialization in International Relations and M.Phil. in Inner Asian Studies from JNU, along with a B.A. from Indraprastha College for Women Delhi University. Prior to joining JAIN University, she served as Faculty at Jesus and Mary College and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar College in Delhi University. Her academic and research expertise encompasses Central Asian Studies, Russian Affairs, Geopolitics, Kazakhstan, Foreign Policy, and Inner Asian Geopolitics, with a particular focus on regional connectivity, strategic affairs, and evolving global power dynamics. Dr. Yadav has actively participated in several international academic forums and conferences, including the Central Asian Experts Forum 2026, contributing to scholarly discussions on Eurasian geopolitics and regional cooperation. She has published in reputed journals and edited volumes, and has contributed chapters on contemporary international relations and strategic studies. She is also the co-editor of the book Reconstructing the Global Order: Challenges in the Post-Pandemic World 2024, New Delhi.

Dr. Satoshi IKEUCHI – Japan

TSatoshi Ikeuchi is Professor of the Division of Religion and Global Security at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo. He is the founding head of the RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES). He is a scholar on Islamic political thought and the Middle East regional and global politics. As a leading public intellectual in Japan, he has been vigorously publishing on the Middle East and Islamic affairs.

Dr. Leszek BUSZYNSKI – Australia

Leszek Buszynski is an Honorary Professor with the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, Canberra Australia. From 1994 to 2010, he was professor of International Relations in the Graduate School of International Relations at the International University of Japan. Prior to this appointment, he was director of the Graduate Program in Strategic Studies with Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University from 1988-1994. His first appointment was as a lecturer in the Political Science Department of the National University of Singapore where he taught from 1980-1987. He completed a master’s degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1975 and graduated with a Ph.D. from the same School in 1980.He was coeditor with Do Thanh Hai of Maritime issues and Regional Order in the Indo Pacific Palgrave Macmillan 2021, and The South China Sea: from Regional Maritime Dispute to Geostrategic Competition (Routledge 2020). He was the sole author of The Geopolitics of the Western Pacific: China Japan and the United States (Routledge 2019).

Mr. Kyle MATTHEWS – Canada

Kyle Matthews is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Global Security. He previously worked as Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. His work focuses on human rights, international security, emerging technologies and countering authoritarianism. He holds the position of McConnell Professor of Practice at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University. He is a member of the Global Diplomacy Lab and the BMW Foundation’s Global Responsible Leaders network. He is currently a member of the Government of Canada’s Cross-cultural Roundtable on Security. He began his career as an official with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and was posted to Tbilisi (Georgia), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Geneva (Switzerland). He has also worked as a consultant for UNICEF, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Swiss Foreign Ministry. He is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his work to advance human rights.

Mr. Guru SANCI - Türkiye

Department Manager at the Secretariat-General of the National Security Council of the Republic of Türkiye

Mr. Mustafa Cihan ARABACI - Türkiye

Assistant Expert at the Secretariat-General of the National Security Council of the Republic of Türkiye.

Ms. Elizabeth DONKERVOORT – United States

Elizabeth Donkervoort is the Senior Advisor, China Programs for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She specializes in legal and institutional policy analysis of governance, security, and regulatory frameworks, with attention to rights-protective safeguards, emerging technologies, and real-world governance implications in People's Republic of China-related and comparative contexts. Prior to joining APFC Elizabeth was a Program Director with the American Bar Association’s Center for Global Programs, leading the East Asia portfolio and law & tech programs, including the Defending Digital Privacy program in Southeast Asia. Elizabeth holds a JD and a Master of Asia Pacific Policy Studies from the University of British Columbia and an Honours BA from the University of Toronto. She is admitted to practice law in Canada and the U.S. and serves on the boards of several international and local networks, including NüVoices, and the Institute for Innovation and Global Engagement at University Washington Tacoma.

Dr. Congyue WANG – China

Wang Congyue is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy（CISS）, Tsinghua University, and a recipient of the Shuimu Scholar fellowship. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Saint Petersburg State University, and was selected for the China Scholarship Council’s Special Training Program for Professional Talents in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. His research centers on Russian and Central Asian studies, Eurasian relations, and major-power competition. He has published extensively in leading Russian peer-reviewed academic journals, including Voprosy Politologii (Political Science Issues), World Politics, and Society: Politics, Economy and Law. His commentaries and analyses have also appeared in influential Chinese media platforms such as Toutiao, Tencent, The Paper and etc. He has taken part in major research projects under the National Social Science Fund of China, and has provided policy research and consultation for central government authorities.

Dr. Qiu HAIYAN – China

Dr. Qiu Haiyan is Research fellow at the Center for Russian & Central Asian Studies, Institute for Global Governance Studies Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS).

Mr. Jakub ORKISZ – Poland

Mr. Jakub Orkisz is an expert in China and Mongolia Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. He has professional background in Polish public administration (Ministry of Economic Development and Technology), academy (War Studies University) and banking sector. He holds MA in law (University of Warsaw, 2019), economics (Warsaw School of Economics, 2020) and European studies (College of Europe, 2023).

Mr. Konrad MAZIARZ - Poland

Mr. Konrad Maziarz is Minister-Counsellor, Head of the China and Mongolia Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Mr. Konrad PAWLIK – Poland

Mr. Konrad Maziarz is Minister-Counsellor, Head of the China and Mongolia Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Ms. Agatha OBRATANSKA – Poland

Mongolia Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Maj Gen. Artur KEPCZYNSKI – Poland

Major General Polish Army Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attache Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing.

Dr. Noboru MIYAWAKI

Noboru Miyawaki is a Professor at Ritsumeikan University in Japan, specializing in research related to the OSCE and its implications for North East Asia. He holds a Doctorate in Political Science from Waseda University, Japan, and has conducted research at institutions including Hamburg University, George Washington University, and the National University of Mongolia. He published the book “The CSCE Human Rights Regime: the Helsinki Final Act Lead the End of the Cold War,” (Kokusai Shoin, 2003), and co-edited "Khalha gol war,"(Kokusai shoin, 2026). He wrote the article “Implications of Drifting Sanction Policies by Japan and Korea” in Ksenia Kirkham ed.,The Routledge Handbook of the Political Economy of Sanctions, Routledge, 2023.

Mr. James TROTTIER – Canada

Canadian Global Affairs Institute Fellow, lawyer, former diplomat, commentator on North Korea & Asian security issues & one of Canada’s foremost experts on North Korea. Led diplomatic delegations to North Korea, attended trial of Canadian prisoner & conducted successful negotiations leading to his release. Headed Political/Economic Affairs at Canadian Embassies in South Korea, Thailand & the Philippines; served at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN & as Chargé d'affaires in Myanmar (where he met regularly with Aung San Suu Kyi including when she was under house arrest). JD law degree (Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto); LL.M. International Law (U of Ottawa); M.A. in Modern History (U of Toronto). In 2025, awarded King Charles III Coronation Medal (2025) for work on international affairs.

Mr. Ba DIANJUN – China

Mr. Ba Dianjun, born in March 1965, is a member of the Communist Party of China, a Doctor of Law, and a professor. He currently serves as Director of the Institute of International Politics at the Northeast Asian Studies Institute of Jilin University, People’s Republic of China.

Dr. WANG Xiaoke – China

Dr. Wang Xiaoke born in March 1987, is a member of the Communist Party of China, a Doctor of Economics, and a professor. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Institute of International Politics at the Northeast Asian Studies Institute of Jilin University, People’s Republic of China.

Dr. Narina – China

Narina is born in April 1980, holds a Doctor of Law degree and is an Associate Professor. She currently works as a research fellow at the Institute of International Politics, Northeast Asian Studies Institute, Jilin University, People’s Republic of China. Her research focuses on Mongolian affairs.

Mr. Chris BEALL – Canada

Chris Beall is a Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Global Security and President of QuietWire, where he builds governance infrastructure, user networks and advisory services that help civil society, government and institutional actors coordinate in contested information environments. He also serves as Chief Relationship Officer at the DISARM Foundation. With over two decades of experience, Chris has advised governments, multilateral institutions and civil society on countering influence operations and foreign interference. He previously held senior roles at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and the Government of Canada. He holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford.

Dr. Aurel CROISSANT – Germany

Dr. Aurel Croissant is Professor of Political Science at Heidelberg University, Germany. He is also Sogang Sage Research Professor at Sogang University, South Korea, and Honorary Professor at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He is Fellow of the CAPRI Foundation (Taipei), the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the National Endowment for Democracy (Washington, D.C.) and the East-West Center (Honolulu). He is member of the academic advisory boards of the German Institute for Global Affairs (GIGA), the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), the Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr (ZMSBw), the Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) and the Bertelsmann Transformation-Index (BTI). Since 2012, he is editor-in-chief of the journal Democratization. His main research interests include comparative authoritarnism and autocratization; civil–military relations; militarization studies; democratization and democracy research; and the comparative politics of East and Southeast Asia. His research is documented in more than 350 scholarly publications in German, English, Indonesian, Russian and Spanish.

Dr. Aleksandr VORONTSOV - Russia

Alexander Vorontsov Ph.D. (History) is currently the head of the Department for Korean and Mongolian Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russia Academy of Sciences. He also holds post as Russian Military Science Academy Professor. He repeatedly takes part at the “track 1.5" and "track 2" conferences dealing with the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia. He was visiting professor at the Hanguk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul from 1998 to 2000; at the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan in 2009, 2012 and 2020; at the Akita International University, Japan in 2015, member of faculty of Yonsei University International Summer School in Seoul in 2010; visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies in Washington D.C. in 2005-2006, graduated from Asia Pacific-Center for Security Studies Executive Courses in Honolulu in 2005. Vorontsov served as second secretary in the Russian Federation’s Embassy in Pyongyang from 2000 to 2002. Vorontsov holds a Ph.D. in history from the Institute of Oriental Studies at the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences. He was the member of the Russian part of the Russia-DPRK, Russia-ROK Intergovernmental Commission dealing with trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation and associate professor at the MGIMO University Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia from 2012 to 2022. Vorontsov has studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University and Pyongyang Kim Il Sung University.

Mr. Zhumabek SARABEKOV – Kazakhstan

Director of the Institute of World Economy and Politics of Kazakhstan.