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On June 29 and 30, the German Marshall Fund co-hosted a conference entitled “Democratization and Security in the Black Sea” with the ARI Movement in Ankara, Turkey.  The conference was the eighth International Security Conference by ARI Movement and brought together a range of participants, including diplomats, journalists, academics, and fellow think-tank representatives.   Opening the conference were Karen Donfried, Senior Director for Policy Programs at the German Marshall Fund, Giorgi Baradmidze, Georgian State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration, and the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson.  In opening remarks, Ambassador Wilson was optimistic about GMF’s planned Black Sea Trust in the region.  He set the tone for the event by remarking on the need for cooperation across borders in order to successfully promote democracy in the region.   The session “Multiple Visions for Black Sea and Multiple Visions for Democracy” shed particular light on the complexity of the region’s issues.  Gunduz Aktan, director of the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies, began the session with theoretical remarks on democracy promotion and Russian policy in the Black Sea region.  He cautioned against idealizing democracy, especially in the context of promotion efforts in underdeveloped regions that, he noted, can cause further instability.   Borut Grgic, from the Slovenian Institute for Security Studies, added an interesting angle.  He stressed that the European Neighborhood Poilcy (ENP) is simply an alternative to European Union membership, and does not forestall enlargement.  According to Grgic, the EU will develop a presence in the Black Sea region after adding Bulgaria and Romania to the Union.  However, he emphasized that the EU will not seek further enlargement in the direction of the South Caucasus.   Suat Kiniklioglu, GMF’s Ankara office director, and Rafet Akgunay, Deputy Undersecretary at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, also raised interesting points for the discussion.  Kiniklioglu pointed out the need to separate naval security from the general strategic debate, while Akgunay stressed the importance of the Montreux Convention and underscored the event by stating that inclusiveness was the key to Black Sea cooperation.   Joel Sprayregen, from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, also took part in the discussion. The event was covered thoroughly by Turkish media outlets.