Taipei: Taiwan’s government is set to hold its annual regional security forum next week, featuring speeches by former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-President of the French National Assembly Fran§ois de Rugy, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

According to Focus Taiwan, the ninth edition of the annual Ketagalan Forum-Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue will take place on Tuesday in Taipei. This year’s forum will focus on significant themes such as regional security, whole-of-society defense resilience, and economic resilience, as outlined in a press release issued by MOFA earlier this week.

In addition to the keynote speeches by Johnson and de Rugy, the one-day event will convene 12 political leaders, scholars, and experts from 10 countries, including the United States, Japan, and other like-minded nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. However, MOFA did not disclose a full list of participating guests.

The agenda, released by the Taipei-based Prospect Foundation, co-host of the forum, indicates that attendees will include Jason Kenney, the 18th Premier of Alberta and former Canadian Defense Minister, as well as Tomohiko Tanicughi, former special advisor to the Cabinet of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

MOFA has stated that participants will engage with their Taiwanese counterparts on discussions concerning “Indo-Pacific security dynamics; gray-zone tactics and countermeasures; and the impact of economic, technological, and industrial diplomacy on global politics.” The forum aims to foster dialogue and connections among nations in the region to promote peace, security, and prosperity.

The annual Ketagalan Forum, co-hosted by MOFA with domestic think tanks since 2017, has served as a platform for advancing these objectives. Last year’s forum featured a keynote address by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, where she urged the U.N. to acknowledge Taiwan and argued for its inclusion as a “full member” of the international organization.