"Rust in Peace," the first event of the Ambassador Elena Poptodorova Distinguished Lecturers Series, took place on Sept. 20 in the BAC "Andrey Delchev" Auditorium. Its guest was Thierry de Montbrial, founder and president of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), member of the editorial board of Foreign Policy magazine, and columnist at Le Monde.

The lecture started with a 12-minute delay, as Montbrial gave interviews to local radio and television reporters. Simeon Angelov, executive director of the Balkan Political Club and moderator of the talk, introduced the guest and jokingly explained that the lecture is behind schedule "due to the fourth power, [which is] not in control of anybody." In the end of the evening, however, he apologized for this remark to the media.

Montbrial said that while international relations are usually viewed in terms of peace and war, most of the time states are in a "no-war, no-peace situation." Since the outbreak of World War I, a number of "frozen conflicts" define the international situation, the latest outburst of which is the Arab Spring.

Montbrial added that military presence in Kosovo is still necessary and only time will help the situation there. Time is also what EU needs to "digest" new members like Bulgaria and Romania, Montbrial added. To the question whether the union will be able to digest Russia, Montbrial answered: "If you want to embarrass us, please apply [for EU membership]; how can we say 'no' to you if we said 'yes' to Turkey?" Later, Montbrial explained that even though Turkey applied for membership, it has no immediate interest to join the union, as it currently holds a powerful position on its own. The situation in Russia is similar, Montbrial said, adding that he still expects the state to change its view if the Russian demographic crisis continues.

During the lecture, Montbrial repeatedly said that structures like the EU would be the key to avoiding future international conflicts. "I know that many of you are skeptical about the EU, and it is not only in this part of the [union]." Despite the daily internal conflicts, however, the EU has secured peaceful relations between its members and that is its most important achievement, Montbrial said. He concluded that while young people should be optimistic about the EU, they should also try to understand the decision-making process of the union in order to benefit from it.