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RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 1306

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 VLADIVOSTOK 000094 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES FOR PAO; DEPT FOR EAP/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OCII OPRC MARR MCAP OIIP SCUL PREL KR RS
SUBJECT: CONSULATE VLADIVOSTOK HOSTS 2009 SYMPOSIUM ON NORTHEAST ASIA 
SECURITY (SNEAS), SEPTEMBER 14-16: "SECURITY IN NORTHEAST ASIA -- HAS 
THE PACIFIC CENTURY ARRIVED?" 
 
REF: VLADIVOSTOK 1277 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000094  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Consulate Vladivostok, in collaboration with 
the Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service 
(VGUES), hosted the 2009 Symposium on Northeast Asia Security 
(SNEAS) on 14-16 September 2009 in Vladivostok, Russia. 
Participants from Russia, Mongolia, Japan, India, China, South 
Korea, and U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) discussed a wide range 
of issues under the theme of "Security in Northeast Asia -- Has 
the Pacific Century Arrived?"  Among the highlights was the 
keynote speech on the theme, "A Hazy Shape of East Asian 
Security: Past Fears versus Future Challenges" by Professor 
Viktor Larin, Russian Academy of Sciences - Far Eastern Branch, 
and Director of the Institute of History, Archaeology, and 
Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East.  Additional stellar 
presentations included Professor Erdenebold Tsegmid, Leading 
Expert, Institute for Strategic Studies, National Security 
Council, Mongolia, who spoke on the theme "Northeast Asian 
Cooperation: A Mongolian Perspective," and Professor Sanjay 
Pandey, Associate Professor, Center for Russian and Central 
Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru 
University who delivered a paper on the topic of "The 
Significance of India-Russia Relations in an Asia Pacific 
Context."  Each participant benefited from expanding his/her 
professional network and from gaining new insights into various 
aspects of Northeast Asia regional security.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Background:  The Symposium on Northeast Asia Security 
(SNEAS) began in 1996 as a follow-on program to the EAP/PD and 
USPACOM sponsored Symposium on East Asia Security (SEAS).  From 
its start, SNEAS was envisioned as a forum to promote discussion 
among security specialists from Northeast Asian nations, many of 
whom were SEAS alumni.  SNEAS focuses on emerging regional 
security issues, the U.S. role in regional stability, 
cooperation among Northeast Asian countries, and the full range 
of Korean Peninsula issues. 
 
¶3. (U) Professor Viktor Larin (Russian Academy of Sciences - Far 
Eastern Branch, and Director of the Institute of History, 
Archaeology, and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East), an 
alumnus of the Symposium on East Asia Security (an important 
objective of SNEAS is to provide an opportunity for alumni of 
EAP/PD's and USPACOM's premier collaborative program effort - 
the Symposium on East Asia Security or SEAS - to discuss 
security concerns specific to Northeast Asia with fellow alumni 
of EAP security programs) highlighted an engaged and energetic 
group of security experts from Russia, Mongolia, Japan, India, 
China, South Korea, and U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM). 
Following welcoming remarks by Consul General Tom Armbruster and 
Primorsky Territory Legislative Assembly (Duma) Chairman Viktor 
Gorchakov, Professor Larin's keynote speech on Tuesday, 15 
September, on the theme "A Hazy Shape of East Asian Security: 
Past Fears versus Future Challenges," launched a series of 
discussions on topics ranging from North Korean weapons 
proliferation to Russo-Sino relations to India-Russia relations. 
 More than three dozen official participants and a number of 
local observers, including representatives from Vladivostok's 
diplomatic community (Consul Generals from Japan, India, and 
Vietnam among others, attended the symposium), attended the 
conference (see participant list in paragraph 12).  Other 
participants included Consulate Vladivostok staff, U.S. Embassy 
Moscow staff (the attendance of representatives from the Defense 
Attachi Office were particularly welcomed by the symposium 
participants), USPACOM military and civilian representatives, 
and U.S. embassy staff from throughout the region; military 
personnel and academics from universities and think tanks in 
Vladivostok and Moscow; and local and national government 
officials.  Two dozen representatives from the participating 
countries offered presentations, all of which were followed by 
lively discussion. 
 
¶4. (U) SNEAS 2009's first panel addressed the question of 
"Russia's Relations with Her Asia Pacific Neighbors: 
Competition, Conflict, and Cooperation."  Professor Mikhail 
Shinovskiy of the International Relations Institute of 
Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service (VGUES) 
discussed the theme, "Northeast Asia: Main Threats for 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000094  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
International Security after the Cold War."  Professor Xiao Ren 
of Shanghai's Institute of International Studies, Fudan 
University, China offered "Chinese Views on Russia's Role in the 
Region"; Professor Erdenebold Tsegmid, Leading Expert, Institute 
for Strategic Studies, National Security Council, Mongolia, 
discussed the theme, "Northeast Asian Cooperation: A Mongolian 
Perspective"; and Professor Vladimir Yevseyev, Senior Associate, 
Center for International Security, Institute for World Economy 
and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences, 
Moscow, contributed thoughts on "North Korea's Missile Program." 
 
¶5. (U) The second panel session of the symposium was a 
continuation of the first session's theme.  Professor Sanjay 
Pandey, Associate Professor, Center for Russian and Central 
Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru 
University, India, spoke on the theme "The Significance of 
India-Russia Relations in an Asia Pacific Context."  Research 
Fellow Takeshi Watanabe of the National Institute for Defense 
Studies, Ministry of Defense, Japan, discussed "New Security 
Architectures in Northeast Asia"; Professor Ik Joong Yoon, 
Department of International Studies, Hallym Institute of 
Advanced International Studies, Korea offered thoughts on 
"Russo-Sino Relations"; and Brigadier General Pamela Milligan 
from USPACOM offered wide-ranging opinions on the topic, 
"Russia's Cooperative Relations with Its Northeast Asian 
Neighbors." 
 
¶6. (U) On Wednesday morning, 16 September, the second day of the 
conference, the participants discussed the question of 
"Multilateral Approaches to Traditional and Non-Traditional 
Security Challenges in Northeast Asia."  Professor Artyom Lukin, 
a SEAS alumnus, Department of International Relations, Far 
Eastern National University, Vladivostok, discussed 
"International Relations in Northeast Asia: the Dialectics of 
Rivalry and Cooperation."  Professor Joon Hyung Kim, 
International Studies Department, Handong Global University, 
Korea, discussed the "US-ROK Alliance"; Professor Jianfei Liu, 
Institute of International Strategic Studies, National Security 
Council, China, spoke on the need for "Multilateral Approaches 
to Security Challenges"; and Mr. Hiroshi Sanomura, North 
American Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, 
addressed the "Japanese View of Effective Multilateral 
Approaches."  The second panel on Wednesday morning featured Dr. 
David Fouse, Associate Professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for 
Security Studies, who discussed "An Overview of the Six Party 
Talks as the Major Multilateral Forum in Northeast Asia." 
Professor Sergey Sevastyanov, International Studies Center, 
VGUES, Vladivostok, spoke on "Northeast Asian Identity and 
Security"; Senior Researcher Bumkhorol Tsedendorj, Institute for 
Strategic Studies, National Security Council, Mongolia, 
discussed "Mongolian Views of Effective Multilateral 
Approaches"; and Deputy Director Chunsi Wu, Department of 
American Studies, Shanghai Institute for International Studies, 
China, offered a presentation on the theme of "Trust Building." 
 
¶7. (U) The final session of the conference addressed the issue 
of "Economic and Military Dimensions of Security in Northeast 
Asia."  Dean Jung Hoon Lee, Underwood International College, 
Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University in 
Korea, spoke on "Pyongyang's Nuclear End Game: Will North Korea 
Ever Give up Its Nuclear Weapons?"  Mr. Nickolas Katsakis, a 
Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, offered a 
comprehensive analysis on "Russian Military Reform and Its 
Effects on Northeast Asian Security;" Colonel Chiharu Narita, 
Director, Intelligence Department, Japan Ground Self-Defense 
Forces, Minsitry of Defense, Japan, discussed "Japan's Defense 
Exchanges"; and Professor Nikolay Fokin, Far Eastern State 
University, Vladivostok, spoke on "Economic Security in 
Northeast Asia." 
 
¶8. (U) In order to utilize the limited time available to the 
symposium participants most effectively, a plenary session of 
SNEAS 2009 was held on Monday evening at a dacha on the 
outskirts of Vladivostok; Professor Aleksandr Kozhevnikov of 
Vladivostok's Far Eastern National University's Oriental 
Institute addressed the roles of "Historical Memory and Security 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000094  003.4 OF 004 
 
 
Issues in Northeast Asia."  Additionally, on Tuesday a guest 
luncheon speaker from the Maritime State University in 
Vladivostok, Professor Denis Akmaykin, spoke on the topic, "Port 
Security Measures in Vladivostok," while on Wednesday guest 
luncheon speaker Professor Alexander Kuznetsov of the Institute 
of International Relations, Far Eastern National University, 
Vladivostok, discussed "Ethnic Factors and Security Problems in 
Northeast Asia."  Consul General Tom Armbruster hosted a 
robustly attended reception in honor of the participants on 
Tuesday, 15 September.  In an offer greatly appreciated by the 
foreign participants in the symposium, VGUES arranged for a 
dozen of its students to act as guides; the students, whose 
English speaking abilities were excellent, offered walking and 
shopping tours of Vladivostok on the morning of 17 September, 
prior to the departure of the participants to the airport. The 
Russian students were polled about whether the Pacific is indeed 
the ocean of the future and while many named hometown 
Vladivostok as the most promising capital for commerce, others 
said that San Francisco, Tokyo, or Honolulu may become the 
world's leading city this century. 
 
¶9. (U) Symposium participants expressed appreciation for the 
chance to meet their international colleagues and noted that 
they had already formed the foundations of a network of security 
professionals which would enable them to maintain contact with 
each other.  An email list of participants' cell phone numbers 
and email addresses was provided to each member of SNEAS 2009. 
 
¶10. (U) Press coverage of the event was positive, with local and 
national news stations and newspapers covering the opening of 
the symposium and conducting interviews during the breaks. 
Scholars from each of the participating countries have promised 
to publish articles on the conference; background attribution 
rules will be followed. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Comment:  SNEAS 2009 achieved its dual goals of 
furthering U.S. foreign and military policy goals in the 
Northeast Asia region and expanding and strengthening EAP/PD's 
and USPACOM's network of security professionals in the region. 
The opportunity for military and civilian security professionals 
from Russia, China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia to discuss 
together the most pressing issues facing their governments was 
invaluable; also, in Vladivostok, for the first time, a 
participant from India participated in the symposium, and his 
contributions and insights proved extremely valuable for his 
colleagues.  The security and economic discussions among 
established and rising military and economic powers established 
a consensus among the participants that the concerns of each 
nation must be addressed constructively, openly, and without 
delay, in order to prevent misunderstandings, miscalculations, 
and missteps in Northeast Asia during the 21st century -- the 
Pacific Century. 
 
¶12. (U) Participant List: 
 
China 
LIU Jianfei, Professor, Director of Division of Chinese 
Diplomacy Institute of Int'l Strategic Studies, Central Party 
School of CPC 
REN Xiao, Professor and Associate Dean, Institute of Int'l 
Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai 
WU Chunsi, Deputy Director, Department of American Studies, 
Shanghai Institute for International Studies 
 
India 
Sanjay Kumar Pandey Senior Researcher, Associate Professor, 
Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies, 
School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
 
Japan 
Chiharu Narita, Director, Intelligence Department, Japan Ground 
Self-Defense (JGSDF), Northern Army, Ministry of Defense (MOD) 
Hiroshi Sanomura, Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Division, North 
American Affairs Bureau, MFA 
Takeshi Watanabe, Research Fellow, The National Institute for 
Defense Studies, Ministry of Defense 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000094  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
Mongolia 
Erdenebold Tsegmid, Leading expert, Institute for Strategic 
Studies, Office of the National Security Council 
Bumkhorol Tsedendorj, Institute for Strategic Studies, Office of 
the National Security Council 
 
Republic of Korea 
Lee Jung Hoon, Dean, Underwood International College, Professor 
of International Relations; Graduate School of International 
Studies, Yonsei University 
Youn Ik Joong, Assistant Professor of Russian Studies, 
Department of International Studies , Hallym Institute of 
Advanced International Studies 
Kim Joon Hyung, Associate Professor, International  Studies 
Department, Handong Global University 
 
Russia 
Viktor Larin, Director, Institute of History, Archeology and 
Ethnography, Vladivostok 
Artyom Lukin, Associate Professor, Department of International 
Relations, Far Eastern State University, Vladivostok (FENU) 
Mikhail Shinkovskiy, Director, International Relations 
Institute, VGUES 
Sergey Sevastyanov, Director, International Studies Center, VGUES 
Tamara Troyakova, Head, Chair of Int'l Relations,   Vladivostok 
Institute of International Relations, Far Eastern State 
University, Vladivostok 
Igor Tolstokulakov, Associated Professor, Head, Department for 
Korean Researches, Institute of History, Archeology and 
Ethnography, Vladivostok 
Nikolay Fokin, Head, Economy and Finance of Pacific Rim 
Countries Department, Oriental Institute, FENU 
Viktor Yevseyev,  Senior Associate , Center for International 
Security, Institute for World Economy and International 
Relations (IMEMO), the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 
Yevgeniy Volosastov, Third Secretary,Vladivostok, MFA 
representative office 
Sergey Parkhomenko, Attache, Vladivostok, MFA representative 
office 
 
U.S. 
Michael Richards, Public Diplomacy Advisor, DOS/USPACOM 
Pamela Milligan, BG, USAF (J3), USPACOM 
David Fouse, APCSS, DoD 
David Parker, Colonel, USPACOM 
Phil DuPont, LTC, Standing  Joint Forces HQ, USPACOM 
Robert Lisch, LTC, USAF, USPACOM 
Jon Smith, Major, HIANG, USPACOM 
Nickolas Katsakis, Acting Political-Economic Officer, U.S. 
Consulate in Vladivostok 
Lisa Vining, Assistant Army Attache, U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar 
Eric Stephens, Assistant Naval Attache, U.S. Embassy, Moscow 
 
¶13. (U) Consulate Vladivostok thanks EAP/PD and USPACOM for 
their support of this important and valuable program. 
 
+++END+++ 
ARMBRUSTER