The topic of regional security was widely covered during of the National Program. Two of the speakers were leading Bulgarian experts on the topic – the chair of the Sofia Security Forum Jordan Bozhilov and the professor in Arabian Studies – Simeon Evstatiev explained to the participants the reasons behind the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, explained the current situation and defined the main risk groups ahead of the Black Sea region. The panel was moderated by the vice editor-in-chief of “Dnevnik” newspaper, the foreign affairs journalist Peter Karaboev. The reaction of the EU concerning the two topics was discussed as well as the position of the Bulgarian government. A lively discussion followed and the panel was extended with an extra hour than originally planned, due to the high interest. The panel was supported from the Council of Europe.