ROLES, in collaboration with the Institute for Strategic Studies, National Security Council, Mongolia (ISS), hosted an international conference titled, "50 Years of the Helsinki Final Act: European Experience and Asian Future." The event took place on August 25 and 26, 2025.

Held at a venue within Mongolia's Terelj National Park, with support from JICA and the Hanns-Seidel Foundation, the conference commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. It served as an opportunity to reflect on Europe's experience and to discuss confidence-building and security cooperation in Asia. The two-day conference brought together over 30 researchers, experts, and former diplomats from Japan, Mongolia, Germany, and Finland for a lively discussion.

The program details are as follows:

25th August 2025 (Monday)

Welcome Speech
Moderator    Ms. SOYOLGEREL Nyamjav, Institute for Strategic Studies of Mongolia
Prof. Yoko IWAMA, GRIPS, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Dr. MENDEE Jargalsaikhan, Institute for Strategic Studies of Mongolia
Mr. Felix Glenk, Hanns Seidel Foundation Mongolia

Session I
Moderator    Prof. Mie Oba, Kanagawa University
- “Looking back to the Helsinki Final Act: What made it possible?”
Dr. Bart GAENS, Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- “Why did the Soviet Union change their tactics towards CSCE?”
Dr. Tukasa HOTTA, Hokkaido University Slavic Research Center
Discussant: Ambassador (rtd.) Pit Heltmann/ Prof. Nobumasa AKIYAMA

Session II
Moderator   Dr. MENDEE Jargalsaikhan, Institute for Strategic Studies of Mongolia
- “Interrelationship between CBM and Arms Control/Disarmament”
Dr. Hirofumi KOSAKA, Nagoya City University
- “Divided Germany and the Helsinki Process”
Prof. Yoko IWAMA, GRIPS (National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies)
Discussant: Prof. Nobumasa AKIYAMA/ Dr. MASHBAT Otgonbayar

26th August 2025 (Tuesday)
Session III 
Moderator     Prof. Yoko IWAMA, GRIPS, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
- Chinese Foreign Policy and Confidence Building Measures
Prof. Chisako T. MASUO, Kyushu University
- Divided Germany and Divided Korea
Ambassador Pit Heltmann
Discussant: Dr. Tsukasa Hotta/Mr. Mr. Buyandelger Davaajantsan, ISS

Session IV 
Moderator   Mr. TSOGTGEREL Nyamtseren, Mongolian National Defense University
- “ASEAN Way” and Security Cooperation Mechanism in Asia”
Prof. Ken JIMBO, Keio University
- “Imagining a future Arms Control and Disarmament Regime in Asia”
Professor Nobumasa AKIYAMA, Hitotsubashi University
Discussant: Ambassador Masafumi ISHII/ Mr. ALTANKHUU Badarch, ISS

Session V
Moderator     Professor Chisako T. MASUO
- “Human Security and Japanese Approach to Development and Modernization in Asia”
Makiko ARAI, JICA Ogata Sadako Institute for Peace and Development
- “Rule of Law” and Japanese approach to Legal Technical Assistance
Prof. Naoko KUWAHARA, Iwate Prefectural University
Discussant: Ambassador Masafumi ISHII/ Dr. Bart Gaerns (Finnish Institute for International Affairs)

Session VI 
Moderator     Mr. BUYANDELGER Davaajantsan, ISS
- “Mongolian Constitutional History: Constitutional Transition from authoritarianism to democracy”
Prof. Masaki NAKAMURA, Nagoya University of Economics
- “Mongolia’s Third Neighbor Diplomacy: OSCE Membership”
Mr. CHANDMANI Sukhbaatar, Institute for Strategic Studies of Mongolia
Discussant: Professor Mie Oba, Kanagawa University
Prof. Yoko IWAMA

Closing remarks by ISS, ROLES

We plan to create a report based on the discussions.