... The Charter for European Security signed in November 1999 in Istanbul was intended to “contribute to the formation of a common and indivisible security space” on the European continent. This document, as well as many others, signed by Russia, the European Union, NATO and other parties, was the foundation for establishing far-reaching plans to build a Greater Europe, a Common space stretching from Vladivostok to Lisbon and shared spaces in various cooperation areas, etc.
These developments transpired in front of our very eyes and, to our profound regret, never materialized. Today, after some time, ...
... cooperation, providing a comprehensive framework for further bilateral relations. The central issue was if the protagonists in Greater Europe agree to disagree on the certain number of issues (security, economy, humanitarian problems) in the current geopolitical ... ... Tremonti, Minister of Economy and Finance of Italy (1994–1995, 2001–2006, 2008–2011); Markus Ederer, Ambassador of the European Union to Russia; Wolfgang Schüssel, Chancellor of Austria (2000–2007), Minister of the Interior of Austria (2007); ...
... which can be easily crossed or even torn down completely should one so desire. The thing is, however, that nobody appears to have this desire. Or, at least, the needed commitment, stamina and vision. As the years turn into decades, the prospect of a Greater Europe moves deeper and deeper into an uncertain future, just like the horizon moves further into the distance with each step. And not only for those of us who live east of Poland and the Baltic states, but also for many lucky holders of a European ...
... sidelines of the European security order in particular and the ‘European project’ in general, without becoming a serious stakeholder in the project. This, in turn, predetermined the country’s turn toward Asia.
Andrey Kortunov:
One More Time on Greater Europe and Greater Eurasia
The second explanation is a systems one. Over this same quarter-century, Russia has not succeeded in its search for an effective new model of socioeconomic development — all the while effectively exhausting the potential ...
... a couple of decades.
However, imagine for a second that a miracle happens, and the Ukrainian problem is off the table. Would it open a way for a common understanding of the European future and for a consorted EU–Russia effort at building a shared Greater Europe? Most likely, it would not. The Ukrainian conflict, as important as it is, should not overshadow more fundamental divisions between the East and the West; these divisions are not likely to disappear any time soon.
Andrey Kortunov:
Europe ...
... stretching from Shanghai to St. Petersburg. The Eurasian advance to the West incrementally absorbs bits and pieces of Europe in various forms (e.g. the One Belt, One Road project). Russia’s international influence is on rise, the influence of the European Union is on decline.
“Two legged Greater Europe” (strong Europe, reforms in Russia”). Finally, what do we see in the fourth quadrant, with both the European Union and Russia demonstrating equal capacity to address their problems and to find solutions to difficult questions without ...
... intelligent, and professional tool that can and should be used to overcome the current impasse in the pan-European cooperation, as well as acquire in the future a fundamentally new foundation, consistent with the objectives and ideals of building a Greater Europe. Provided that it’s not too late, and is still possible.
However, it is the relationship between Russia and the European Union that has become the biggest disappointment and conceptual failure. We shall discuss it along with an alternative Russian geopolitical project in our next editorial.
First published in
All Europe magazine
The Russian International Affairs Council held the latest meeting of the Working Group for the Building Greater Europe project on 2 October. The meeting discussed the prospects for the development of Greater Europe in view of current political conditions, the institutional framework of Greater Europe, opportunities for the OSCE in tackling the Ukraine crisis,...
... For example, Russia and the European Union could concentrate on the sore issue of managing migration. Or on preventing political extremism and terrorism. Or on the subregional mechanisms of cooperation from the Black Sea to the Arctic. Russia and the European Union will remain neighbours and even the fading of the idea of Greater Europe cannot wipe out this reality.
...
Proceeding from a premise that the Russia-West contradictions have been amassing during the past years to bring a full-scale crisis exacerbated by the Ukraine turmoil, the discussants covered a broad range of issues including the feasibility of the Greater Europe project, new security challenges (ISIS and migration collapse in Europe), possible areas for Russia-Europe cooperation and appropriate mechanisms, international priorities and interests of Russia, European countries, the United States and ...