Project: Monitoring Serbia’s OSCE Chairmanship12Jan2015
Professor Ivo Viskovic confirmed as a member of Panel on European Security as a Common Project
BELGRADE, 12 January 2015 - Ivica Dačić, Serbian Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, and his Troika partners Didier Burkhalter and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the respective foreign ministers of Switzerland and Germany, announced today that the composition of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project was now established. They expressed their appreciation for the commitment and engagement of the 15 distinguished individuals who have accepted their invitation to sit on the Panel. They also thanked Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger for agreeing to chair the Panel.
The Panel was launched on the initiative of the 2014 Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in close cooperation with Serbia and Germany at the OSCE Ministerial Council 2014 in Basel on 4 December. In accordance with its mandate, the Panel will provide advice on how to reconsolidate European security as a common project. It will, inter alia, prepare the basis for an inclusive and constructive security dialogue across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions, reflect on how to re-build trust among the OSCE participating States and ensure more effective adherence to the Helsinki Principles, examine perceived threats in the OSCE area and potential common solutions, explore possibilities for reinvigorating cooperative security, and analyze the particular role of the OSCE in this regard. The Panel will seek input from participating States, the OSCE Institutions, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, multilateral actors concerned with European security issues, civil society, think tanks, and other relevant actors.
“In addition to continuing our efforts to restore peace to Ukraine, it is time to also address the broader crisis of European security that has deepened as a result of recent developments, and this Panel will help move the respective discussions forward”, Dačić said. “We should do everything possible to reverse the trend of growing distrust and polarisation in Europe; by bringing together personalities from all OSCE regions with a broad range of different backgrounds and experiences, the Panel is well positioned to make valuable contributions to this end and assist OSCE participating States in their efforts to determine the way forward,” Burkhalter continued. “In a situation where European security is at stake we need to find a way to return to a dialogue on how to restore security and cooperation in Europe. The Panel can give valuable input to the OSCE in this regard,” added Steinmeier.
The Panel will hold its first meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference on 8 February 2015. It is tasked to produce two reports; an interim report, in particular on lessons learned for the OSCE from its engagement in Ukraine, and a final report on the broader issues of security in Europe and the OSCE area at large. Both reports will contain recommendations on action points for policy makers.
Members of the Panel are:
Wolfgang Ischinger: Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Chairperson primus inter pares of the Panel
Ambassador Ischinger, a German career diplomat, has served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2006-2008) and the United States (2001-2006), and as Deputy Foreign Minister of Germany (Staatssekretaer, 1998-2001). In 2007, he represented the European Union in the Troika negotiations on the future of Kosovo. In 2014, he served as the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-In-Office, promoting national dialogue in the Ukrainian crisis. He is a member of both the Trilateral Commission and the European Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on many non-profit boards, including SIPRI/Stockholm, CER/London, and SWP/Berlin. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tuebingen/Germany.
Ivo Visković: Former Ambassador, Professor
Ivo Visković currently serves as Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade. Ambassador Visković served as Serbian Ambassador to Germany from 2009-2013. He has also served as Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro in Slovenia (2001-2004). In 2007, he became a member of the Council for Foreign Policy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Chairman of the Forum for International Relations. Prior to this, he lectured at the University of Belgrade in the Faculty of Political Sciences from 1979, where he was the Head of the Department of International Studies (2000-2009). From 2005 to 2009 he was in charge of the "Seminar for international relations and foreign policy" at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgrade.
Emma Bonino: Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, former European Commissioner
Emma Bonino has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Italian government (2013-2014) and as Vice-Chair of the Italian Senate (2008-2013). She is a former minister of international trade (2006-2008). First elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1976, she has continuously served either in the Italian or in the European Parliament, except when she was European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid (1994-1999). She is a board member of the International Crisis Group, the Open Society Initiative for Europe and the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Tahsin Burcuoğlu: Former ambassador
Tahsin Burcuoğlu has a distinguished career in the Turkish foreign service that has included important functions such as Ambassador to Greece and France. He has served as Secretary General of the Turkish National Security Council, which is chaired by the President and reviews issues relevant to national, European and global security. He also headed the Turkish National Security Council’s Secretariat, which carries out detailed analyses for the formulation of security policy decisions and directions.
Oleksandr Chalyi: Former First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, President of Grant Thornton
Ambassador Chalyi currently serves as the president of Grant Thornton. As a Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Ukraine (2006-2008), State Secretary for European integration issues (2001-2004), and first Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (1998-2001), he was responsible for legal settlement and implementation of key issues in Ukrainian foreign policy and economic diplomacy. He has over 35 years of experience in legal and advisory practices and specializes in providing services related to international and corporate law. He has received a number of national and international awards. Ambassador Chalyi has numerous publications on issues of international law, economic and energy diplomacy.
Vaira Vike-Freiberga: Former President of Latvia, President of the Club de Madrid
Dr Vike-Freiberga has served as President of Latvia (1999 to 2007) and as Vice Chair of the European Council’s Reflection Group on the Future of Europe 2020-2030 (2008-2010). Dr Vike-Freiberga was a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and was appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to his team of global political leaders in 2005. She pursued a professorial career at the Department of Psychology of the University of Montreal (1965-1998). Among others, she serves as Chair of the European Commission’s High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism, Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations Steering Group for the European Foreign Policy Scorecard, and as a board member of the International Centre for Democratic Transition.
Jean-Marie Guéhenno: Former UN Under Secretary-General, President of International Crisis Group
Jean-Marie Guéhenno is President and CEO of the International Crisis Group since 2014. He chaired a commission to review the French defense and national security white paper established by President François Hollande. In 2012, he was appointed Deputy Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria. He has also served as United Nations Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (2000-2008). A former French diplomat, he held the position of Chairman of the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale between 1998 and 2000, served as director of the French policy planning staff and as Ambassador to the Western European Union. Mr Guéhenno has been active on several boards, including the board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, of which he became chairman in 2010.
Barbara Haering: Former Member of Parliament, Director of econcept Inc.
Dr Haering was a member of the Swiss Parliament from 1990 to 2007. In this capacity, she chaired the Committee on Science, Education and Culture and the Defense Committee, and was Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE. She is the Director of econcept Inc., a private think tank and consultant specializing in strategic planning, evaluation and project management. She is Co-Chair of the European Research and Innovation Area Board (appointed in 2012 by the European Commission). She also chairs the board of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Public Administration in Lausanne and presides over the Council of Foundation of the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining.
Jane Harman: Former Member of Congress, President of the Wilson Center
Jane Harman joined the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2011 as its first female director, president and CEO after having resigned from the United States Congress. During nine terms in Congress, she served on all the major security committees: six years on Armed Services, eight years on Intelligence, and eight on Homeland Security. Harman has been recognized as a national expert at the nexus of security and public policy issues. She is a member of the Defense Policy Board, the State Department Foreign Policy Board, the Director of National Intelligence’s Senior Advisory Group, the Homeland Security Advisory Committee, the Presidential Debates Commission and the Trilateral Commission where she serves on the Executive Committee. She served on the CIA External Board from 2011-2013.
Sergi Kapanadze: Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Director of Georgia’s Reforms Associates
Dr Kapanadze served as Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia from 2011 to 2012. He is the director of the think tank Georgia’s Reforms Associates (GRASS). He also serves as Dean of the School of Governance at Caucasus University and as Associate Professor of International Relations at the Tbilisi State University. Previously, he was Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2008-2011), where he served in various positions starting 2005. In 2006, he served as Senior Advisor in the Analytical Group of the Administration of the President of Georgia. He also worked as Policy Analyst at the International Security Department of the National Security Council of Georgia (2004-2005). He holds a PhD in international relations from Tbilisi State University.
Sergey A. Karaganov: Honorary Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy
A Russian political scientist, Dr Karaganov also serves as Dean of the School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs of the National Research University - Higher School of Economics. He is the author of numerous publications on the subjects of economics, foreign policy, arms control, national security strategy, and Russia‘s foreign and military policy. Previous positions include: Member of the Presidential Council (1993-1998); Adviser to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Presidential Executive Office (2001-2007); Member of the Academic Council of the MFA of Russia (since 1991); and Member of the Academic and Advisory Council, Russian Security Council (since 1993). He was one of the founders of the Institute of Europe of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Malcolm Rifkind: Former Foreign Secretary, Member of Parliament
Sir Malcolm Rifkind is a UK Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a Cabinet Minister under prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including as Foreign Secretary (1995–1997), Secretary of State for Defence (1992–1995), Secretary of State for Transport (1990-1992), and Secretary of State for Scotland (1986–1990). In 1997 he was knighted in recognition of his public service. He served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Welfare Reform until December 2005. He is currently a member of the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation and is a member of the Executive Board for the European Leadership Network.
Adam Daniel Rotfeld: Former Foreign Minister, Professor at Warsaw University
Dr Rotfeld is a professor at Warsaw University. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland (2005) and as Secretary of State (2003-2004). He established the Warsaw Reflection Group on the United Nations Reform and the Transformation of the Euro-Atlantic Security Institutions. He previously served as Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (1991-2002) and as a project leader on Building a Cooperative Security System in and for Europe at SIPRI (1989-1991). He was Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office to develop the political settlement of the conflict in Transdnistria in 1992. He is a member of the executive board for the European Leadership Network and Commissioner of the Euro-Atlantic Security Commission.
Teija Tiilikainen: Former State Secretary, Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Dr Tiilikainen is a Finnish scholar who has been focusing on issues related to European integration and European security politics. She serves currently as the Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. She functioned as State Secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland from 2007-2008. She was representing the Finnish government in the Convention on the Future of Europe in 2002-2003. Dr Tiilikainen has published several books and more than 80 academic articles in international journals and compiled volumes. She is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of a number of academic institutes and associations in Finland.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: Former Prime Minister, Chairman of the Senate
Dr Tokayev has been chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan since October 2013. Served as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Conference on Disarmament from 2011 to 2013. He has a wealth of experience at senior government level. He served as Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2007-2011) during which time he was elected Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in 2008. He has served as secretary of State (2002-2003), Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (1999-2002), and Minister for Foreign Affairs (1994-1999, 2002-2007).
Mr Tokayev has a PHD in Political Science and is the author of eight books on international affairs. He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, Honorary Professor and Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as a member of its Board of Trustees, and Dean Emeritus of the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.