Armen Sarkissian, Director, Eurasia Center, The Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

It is my distinct pleasure, as the co-host of this international gathering, to welcome all the delegates to the Second Eurasian Media Forum in Kazakhstan, this most hospitable country in the heart of Eurasia.

We have a great opportunity to continue what we started last year during the inaugural Forum: to build bridges across cultures and to continue our multifaceted dialogue. The issues resulting from the turbulent transitions in the Eurasian region in the last decade and the unprecedented crises facing our world today infuse added urgency and significance to our deliberations and dialogue.

The Eurasian Media Forum provides us an exceptional opportunity to address the challenges that we all will face in Eurasia in the coming years. Above all, these challenges require the development and nurturing of visionary leadership in all aspects of society, including the media.