2011

The first Defense and Security section meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club

The inaugural session of the Defense and Security Section of the Valdai International Discussion Club titled “Modernization of Russia’s Armed Forces and Cooperation in International Security” was held in Moscow on May 25-27, 2011.

Valdai Discussion Club working group on the future of the Russian -U.S. relations

The Working Group on the Future of the Russian-US relations of the International Valdai Discussion Club held its third session May 12-13 at Harvard University.

2010

Scenarios and Models of the Middle East settlement
Malta, December 9-10, 2010

The resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict will be the focus of discussions at a Valdai Club conference to be held next month in Malta. The two-day event will bring together politicians and analysts from various countries including Valdai discussion club members.

The first such conference, held in December 2009 in Jordan, considered the prospects of building a regional security system. According to participants, that forum marked “Russia’s return to the Middle East, highlighting the country’s contribution to sustaining peace negotiations” in this troubled region. It also reaffirmed the critical importance of an Arab-Israeli peace settlement to peace and stability in the broader Middle East.

Malta Conference on Middle East Settlement Coverage

Valdai Discussion Club working group on the future of the Russian‐U.S. relations. 2nd Meeting. December 2‐4, 2010, Moscow

The Valdai International Discussion Club’s Russian-U.S. working group on the future of bilateral relations met in Moscow December 2-4 to discuss the new agenda for these “reset” bilateral relations, and their relations in the post-Soviet space.

The group comprises Russian and U.S. academics and analysts specializing in international relations. Its focus is on predicting the future of bilateral relations over the next 20-30 years and it held its first meeting this May at Harvard University.

“Regional stability through harmonious development: Russia and China in the new world architecture”
November 25 and 26, 2010
Shanghai, China

The Russian-Chinese section of the International Valdai Discussion Club, entitled “Regional stability through harmonious development: Russia and China in the new world architecture,” was held on November 25-26, 2010, in Shanghai.

The agenda of the two-day meeting in Shanghai focused on formulating joint responses to global and regional challenges, consolidating the efforts of other international players, in particular in the Asia-Pacific region, and taking bilateral cooperation to a new level.

Experts: Russia’s and China’s influence on international arena to grow

Image Gallery:Conference of the Russian-Chinese section of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Shanghai

RUSSIA: HISTORY AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
7th Valdai Club meeting, August 31 – September 7, 2010
St.Petersburg – Kizhi – Valaam, Moscow

The 7th Valdai Club Meeting, an expert forum for international specialists on Russia, titled “Russia: History and Future Development,” ran from August 31 through September 7.
The meeting was organized by RIA Novosti in collaboration with the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the magazines Russia Profile.org and Russia in Global Affairs, and the newspaper The Moscow News.

The discussion brought together prominent experts on Russia from eight European countries, the United States, Canada, the Middle East and Asia. Reports were delivered by well known historians specializing in Russia, such as Richard Pipes, Hélène Carrère d’Encausse and Geoffrey Hosking, and others.

7th Valdai Club Meeting Coverage

Conference "Central Asia and Afghanistan: Problems and Solutions"

Berlin, June 6- 7, 2010

The conference, organized by Valdai International Discussion Club, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) together with RIA Novosti and Russia's Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, was attended by leading experts from Russia and the EU, including Karl-Georg Wellmann, Vitaly Naumkin, Sergei Karaganov and Nikolai Bordyuzha.

Russia's drug control chief, Viktor Ivanov, talked about Afghan drug production as an international rather than a local or regional threat.

The conference, which also featured sessions in Potsdam, looked at a wide range of global issues, including the fight against terrorism and corruption, as well as Afghan drug trafficking, which Moscow feels is being inadequately addressed by NATO forces in Afghanistan.

As a follow-up to the conference, an international forum on combating Afghan drug trafficking was held in Moscow on June 9-10.

Image Gallery

Working group of the future of U.S.-Russian relations

Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies, Harvard university
Council on foreign and defense policy, Moscow

The first meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club working group on the future of Russian-U.S. relations organized by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defense Policy and the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti was held on May 20-21, 2010, at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

More on http://en.rian.ru/docs/valdai/US_Russia.html

2009

Middle East – 2020: Is the Comprehensive Settlement Possible?

Jordan, December 20-22, 2009

The Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti and the Russian Council for Foreign and Defense Policy within the framework of the Valdai International Discussion Club held a three-day conference, “The Middle East 2020: Is a Comprehensive Settlement Possible?”. The conference took place in Jordan on the Dead Sea on December 20-22, 2009.

It was the first time when major Middle East problems are covered by participants of the International Discussion Club Valdai and the first time over the long haul when Russian Federation organized such an ambitious international event in the Middle East.

The Conference was attended by leading analysts, scientists, politicians and journalists who were experts on the Middle East settlement and regional and energy security from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Britain, France and the United States.

The Russian delegation to the conference included Chairman of the Presidium of Council for Foreign and Defense Policy Sergey Karaganov, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, Vitaly Naumkin, director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexei Vasilyev. A member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences Evgeny Primakov and Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, have been invited to address the conference as special guests.

The participants discussed questions about the role of the Middle East in global energy security, strengthening the Non-proliferation regime, regional conflict settlement and many other key regional issues which have implications for the broader global agenda.

More on http://en.rian.ru/docs/valdai/east.html

Conference Coverage

Towards a New European Security Architecture?

Arundel House, London, December 9, 2009

The Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti together with the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy is holding a Valdai International Discussion Club Conference “Towards A New Euroatlantic Security Architecture” on 9 December 2009 in London.

The leading Russian, European and American experts in the field of security, geopolitics and international relations, as well as representatives for the region’s security organizations such as NATO, OSCE, CSTO, will discuss the threats and challenges to Europe’s security as well as dwell on the opportunities to construct a safer system spanning the territory from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

“It is becoming obvious that the Euro-Atlantic civilization, which seemed to have won, in the new world is lagging somewhat behind China and other Asian countries which have turned out to be the true winners of the Cold War,” Sergey Karaganov, Chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, wrote in his piece published at the Valdai Club page “The new configuration raises the problem of Russia’s geostrategic choice in a new way.”

The Russian delegation to the conference will include Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Nikolay Bordyuzha, Chairman of the Duma Committee on International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Modern Development Igor Yurgens, Editor in Chief of “Russia in Global Affairs” magazine Fedor Lukyanov. Following the conference the Russian experts will hold a series of public events in London.

More on http://en.rian.ru/docs/valdai/security.html

Russia – West: Back to the Future

The 6th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club

September 7-15, 2009.

The 6th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, “Russia – West: Back to the Future,” organized by the Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti in conjunction with the Council for External and Defense Policy, the newspaper Moscow News and magazines Russia Profile and Russia in Global Affairs, was held on September 7-15, 2009.

Respected political scientists, experts and journalists from Russia, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Japan, China, India and Iran attended the debates held in Yakutsk, capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the Russian Far East, and on board two steamships that cruised the Siberian River Lena.

They met with Sakha Vice President Yevgenia Mikhailova, Sakha Prime Minister Yegor Borisov and Sergei Ulin, vice president of diamond miner Alrosa.
In Moscow the club participants met with President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich.

They also took part in an international conference, “Modern State and Global Security,” in Yaroslavl.
Discussions attended by politicians and political scientists who hold different views, as well as meetings with high-ranking Russian officials once again provided Western analysts and journalists with objective information about developments in Russia and Moscow’s stand on the key international issues.

6th Valdai Club Meeting Coverage

Download Program (PDF)

Rethinking Russia-U.S. foreign policy interests
Moscow, June 30th — July 1st, 2009

American and Russian experts and political scientists from the Valdai International Discussion Club shared their views on the probable outcome of the Russia-U.S. summit, the most burning issues and future of the two countries’ relations.

Summit Coverage

2008

Russia's Role in the Global Geopolitical Revolution of the Early 21st Century.

Moscow-Rostov-on-Don-Grozny, 8-14 September 2008