Ivan Timofeev, Program Director of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), and RIAC Program Coordinator Anna Kuznetsova took part in the meeting of experts “Russia, Latvia, and Europe after the Warsaw NATO Summit” that was held in Riga on October 29, 2016 within the framework of the Riga Conference on international security issues.
The event was organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and the Latvian Institute of International Affairs. It brought together leading experts in international affairs from Russia and the countries of the region.
Ivan Timofeev, Program Director of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), and RIAC Program Coordinator Anna Kuznetsova took part in the meeting of experts “Russia, Latvia, and Europe after the Warsaw NATO Summit” that was held in Riga on October 29, 2016 within the framework of the Riga Conference on international security issues.
The event was organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and the Latvian Institute of International Affairs. It brought together leading experts in international affairs from Russia and the countries of the region.
Ivan Timofeev shared his insights on possible scenarios that could make the background for developing further dialogue between Russia and the European states.
“The relations between Russia and NATO in the Baltic region are characterized by a paradox: on the one hand, the region has become one of the most vulnerable and challenging interaction spaces; on the other hand, the causes for consistent deterioration of relations between Russia and NATO are rooted beyond it. After the Warsaw summit of NATO, the situation can be described as a “stable deterrence,” said Ivan Timofeev.
Anna Kuznetsova drew attention to the fact that in the current situation it is necessary to enhance awareness both in Russia and in NATO countries of what is going on. “Oddly enough, in Russia today there are only few experts, who study Euro-Atlantic issues. The level of professional knowledge appears to be quite low. The NATO countries suffer from the same disease: after the end of the Cold War, the number of experts specializing in Russia dropped off dramatically. The lack of knowledge and incomprehension of goings-on generate, as a rule, fear and stereotypes,” Anna Kuznetsova emphasized.
The event was also attended by RIAC members Artem Malgin, Counselor-Chief of the Rector’s Office of MGIMO-University; Vladislav Inozemtsev, founder and Scientific Director of the Center for Post-Industrial Studies; and RIAC expert Sergei Kulik.
