On 11-12 December, the European Leadership Network hosted a meeting of the Task Force on Cooperation in Greater Europe. In association with the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), and the International Strategic Research Organisation in Ankara (USAK), the ELN brought together members from the UK, Russia, Germany, France, Poland, Turkey and Finland to discuss how best to achieve greater cooperation across Europe.
The four Task Force chairs, Lord Browne (former UK Defence Secretary), Igor Ivanov (former Russian Foreign Minister), Adam Daniel Rotfeld (former Polish Foreign Minister) and Ozdem Sandberk (former Turkish Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs), directed a discussion on the Ukraine crisis and wider challenges to European cooperation.
The Task Force also discussed how best it can engage and support the debate in Europe in the context of growing tensions between Russia and the West. The Task Force will continue its activities, with the aim of preparing specific proposals for decision makers on how best to de-escalate the crisis and improve mechanisms through which future crises can be better managed.
Participants
- Lord Browne of Ladyton (Des Browne), former UK Defence Secretary, Chair of ELN
- Igor Ivanov, former Russian Foreign Minister
- Alexey Gromyko, Director of the Institute of Europe of Russian Academy of Sciences
- Georgy Mamedov, former Russian Ambassador to Canada, and former adviser to President Putin
- Mikhail Margelov, former Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council
- Professor Adam Daniel Rotfeld, former Polish Foreign Minister
- Ozdem Sandberk, former Turkish Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs
- Sir Tony Brenton, former UK Ambassador to Russia
- Hikmet Cetin, former Turkish Foreign Minister
- Tarja Cronberg, former MEP for Finland
- Paul Quiles, former French Defence Minister
- Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, former UK Foreign and Defence Secretary
- Volker Ruehe, former German Defence Minister
The latest Task Force Paper, published in July, is available here.
