Lamberto Zannier, the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE), discussed the organization’s perspective on “Security Challenges in Europe,” at an IPI meeting, May 17, 2016.With a membership of 57 countries and based in Vienna, the OSCE is the largest intergovernmental body in the world. Though nominally a security organization, […]
Read moreregion: Europe and Central Asia
-
-
After nearly thirty years without peace, the conflict over the region of Karabakh, which pits Azerbaijan and Armenia against one another, has been called a “frozen conflict.” But with deadly fire across the line of contact every year, it is more accurate to say that the settlement process, rather than the conflict, is frozen. International […]
Read more -
Taavi Rõivas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia, explained the extraordinary gains the digital landscape is bringing to Estonia to an IPI audience, May 3, 2016.“Estonia saves two percent of GDP by signing things digitally,” he said. “Imagine if it could go global.”Since regaining its independence in 1991, Estonia has achieved significant economic growth. […]
Read more -
On April 12-13, IPI, together with George Mason University, hosted a meeting in Vienna to discuss the costs of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict and see what practical steps could be taken to enjoy the benefits of peace. As one participant asked, “Has enough time passed since the 2008 conflict to restore people to people contacts?” […]
Read more -
Can trade and energy cooperation promote peace? On December 14, an IPI Vienna meeting discussed the possibilities and limitations of peace and economic connectivity between Europe and Asia; the European Union (EU) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU); and across unrecognized boundaries, for example within states where there have been “frozen” or protracted conflicts. The […]
Read more -
On March 30th, IPI’s Vienna Office hosted a roundtable on “Russia and the maintenance of international peace and security” with Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. The event was held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution.Participants included bilateral as well as multilateral ambassadors, high-ranking representatives of […]
Read more -
Sharing his views on topics ranging from the crisis in Ukraine and the role of women in peace processes to the changing role of the UN, Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia said that the key ingredient to a successful multilateralism is “the ability to listen to each other, the kind of listening when you […]
Read more -
On February 12, the International Peace Institute, with the support of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, held a meeting in Belgrade to explore new approaches to improving relations between Georgia and the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.The meeting, entitled “Conflict Dynamics and Prospects for Reconciliation between Tbilisi, Sukhum/i and Tskhinval/I,” […]
Read more -
On November 3rd, IPI’s Vienna office hosted Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Since April 14, 2014, Ambassador Apakan has led the approximately 300 international monitors from more than 40 OSCE participating states that are monitoring the fragile security situation […]
Read more -
In response to the crisis in Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) deployed a Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of some 250 civilian international observers.The Mission, launched in March 2014, is mandated to: gather information and report on the security situation; establish facts in response to incidents; and establish contacts and facilitate […]
Read more