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Presentation of the new issue of the National Security and the Future Journal is held in the Zagreb Journalists' Club on October 8, 2016.

This issue (Volume 17, No.1-2, 2016) published the presentations of this year's conference Zagreb Security Forum 2016., which hold the theme "Critical Energy Infrastructure Security".
Papers were presented by Prof.dr. Slavko Vidović, Velimir Ostoić B.Sc., General Damir Krstičević, Prof.dr. Miroslav Tudjman, Dr. Gordan Akrap and Martin Vuković.

Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to see you here today at the beginning of the promotion of the Saint George Association magazine National Security and the Future that, in this issue, publishes papers from the first Zagreb Security Forum (ZSF). A year ago Prof. Tudjman, Prof. Shlomo Shpiro and I discussed the possibility of launching an international conference which should take into account the fact that Croatia has become a member of EU and NATO and the fact that we became part of the systems/organizations that shares common values with many different responsibilities, rights and opportunities. As a direct result of these memberships the fact that our national critical infrastructure become part of the same international system, emerged.

Given the fact that we are, for a quite long time, exposed to extremely interesting and challenging political processes that have a direct impact on international economic relations and will, most likely in the long run, affect the processes of development of many countries, and thus Croatia, we decided to organize international Forum, which will attempt to consolidate a number of high-quality and applicable knowledge that exist in the different sectors of government and society, both nationally and internationally. We want that this Forum, and thus Zagreb and Croatia, are going to to become one of the key places where is expected constructive discussion that will reflect on the future development, use, protection and recovery of critical infrastructure, at least in the area of Central and Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean, therefore from the Baltic to the Mediterranean sea. The goal of the ZSF is the gathering, integration and exchange of knowledge that exists in state institutions, public and private sectors, and academic community at national and international level. For the first ZSF held in late February this year, we decided to use the theme of Energy Critical Infrastructure Protection. Very soon respectable experts from several countries joined us in organization committee. Logo of the ZSF that we chose is a stylized view of Šestinski umbrella bounded by the national colors of the countries that members of the organizing committee of the first ZSF came from: Croatia, Israel, Greece, France, and Germany.

St. George Association was not the only one that was involved in the organization of the first ZSF. Significant help was provided by the individual institutions from abroad but also from the Croatia. Croatian Defense Academy from the Croatian Ministry of Defense, with its commander Lieutenant General Ph.D. Slavko Barić found its interest in the development of scientific cooperation with relevant international experts. Several prominent and in their domains recognized companies connected with energy and security and high level information technologies (JANAF, HEP group, Adriatic Security Solutions, Infodom, PLINACRO, Tehnozavod Marušić, Nuclear Power Plant Krško) whose logos are visible on the promo panel and our web site (www.zagrebsecurityforum.com), organizationally and financially supported the Forum for what we are extremely grateful. A special pleasure, as organizers, we owe to the president of the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic who accepted our request for the auspices of the first ZSF. Recently we received a letter from the President in which is written that the President accepted an auspices for the second ZSF to be held in March next year. Our special thanks go to the Mayor of City of Zagreb, mr. Milan Bandić, to the president of the Zagreb Tourist Board mrs. Martina Bienenfeld and to the head of Zagreb City Office of emergency management, mr. Pavle Kalinić, PhD.

The first ZSF gathered experts from various fields from 8 countries, from the United States, over Estonia and Israel to UAE (our dear colleague and friend, an accomplished young scientist in front of whom was excellent future, dr. Chikara Hashimoto, unfortunately recently left us; rest in peace our dear friend), with a 16 very well-received lectures presenting the thematic issue from the strategic and operational levels of thinking and actions. This collection of papers shows that already this year we met previously objectives and tasks, and that we are on the right way. This has recently been confirmed by NATO for accepting our request for their active participation in the organization of the next Forum.

It is my pleasure to announce the second ZSF to be held on 6 and 7 March next year. Thematically we will keep ZSF in the field of critical infrastructure protection, but will be extended to the issues related to the management of water resources, and the opportunities and challenges offered by the use of cyberspace. I would like to point out that cyber space is not only a source of threat. For those who want to develop and to prosper it, cyberspace becomes a means of stimulating important advances in technical and technological development and, as such, flywheel of many positive changes. In the next two weeks on our website we will publish a list of about 15 speakers and panel leader to lecture other topics ZSF. We've now come to a situation that we are recognized international experts appear and emphasize their interest in participating in the Forum. Already we can announce that this time we will have lecturers from at least 10 countries, from the US to Jordan. We express the intention that our ZSF can be closely connected with similar, already known and recognized, Central European international conferences with whom we are compatible and where each other can offer added value, experience and knowledge. This is certainly another indication that the idea ZSF from the beginning of well-defined, set and implemented.

Once again I want to thank to all the sponsors who have supported us, recognizing the possibilities and benefits of this Forum, specifically in the area of critical infrastructure protection. Croatia has much more to do it in an organized and well controlled process to fulfill its duties. Protection of critical infrastructure does not mean only its protection, physical or technical. It needs to be a process that is moving from planning and continued through its leadership and management of critical infrastructure as well as in case of challenges, from human to nature, which critical infrastructure will be exposed to. Critical infrastructure area of development is rapidly growing area which, if we know what we wants and how to reach those goals, can significantly influence the positive development of the country and society, can stop negative demographic trends of the country and enable young high-quality and highly educated persons who can quickly create new usable and useful value, to stay in the country.

St. George Association will work hard to give our contribution to this process, including organizing future ZSF. Thank you for your attention and I hope that you will find our ZSF and our magazine, interesting, useful and usable.

Gordan Akrap, PhD
St. George Association
Head of the organisation committee of the first ZSF
Zagreb, 6th of October 2016

(Verzija članka na hrvatskom jeziku)

Predstavljanju novog broja časopisa National Security And the Future održano je u zagrebačkom Novinarskom domu, dana 8. listopada 2016. godine.
Aktualno izdanje (Svezak 17, No.1-2, 2016.) objavljuje sadržaje ovogodišnje konferencije Zagreb Security Forum 2016, s temom "Critical energy infrastructure security", a okupljenima su radove predstavili prof.dr.sc. Slavko Vidović, Velimir Ostoić dipl.inž, general Damir Krstičević, prof.dr.sc. Miroslav Tuđman, dr.sc. Gordan Akrap te Mario Vuković.

U nastavku donosimo predgovor dr. sc Gordana Akrapa.

Poštovane dame i gospode,
Zadovoljstvo mi je pozdraviti vas na početku promocije časopisa National Security and the Future koji u ovom broju objavljuje radove s prvog Zagrebačkog sigurnosnog foruma (ZSF). Prije nešto više od godinu dana prof. Tuđman, prof. Shlomo Shpiro i ja razgovarali smo o mogućnosti pokretanja međunarodne konferencije koja bi trebala uzeti u obzir činjenicu da je Hrvatska postala članica EU i NATO-a čime smo postali dio sustava koji dijeli zajedničke vrijednosti, s brojnim različitim obvezama, pravima i mogućnostima. Kao izravna posljedica tih članstava proizašla je i činjenica da je naša nacionalna kritična infrastruktura postala dio istovrsnog međunarodnog sustava i kao takvu je ubuduće trebamo promatrati.