Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2015
At the 5th Berlin Foreign Policy Forum, discussions focused on the following issues central to German and European Foreign Policy: How can Europe develop a joint approach to dealing with refugees? How can relations between Russia and Europe be prevented from further deteriorating? What are the chances of a new regional order developing in the Middle East? And which opportunities could help diffuse the tense security situation in Asia? The Forum was opened by Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and further speakers included Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn, Latvia’s former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Jordan’s former Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi, and Serbia’s former Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić.
Report
The Refugee Crisis as the Predominant Issue

“Foreign policy has never been this present before” – with this remark, Thomas Paulsen from the Körber Foundation’s Executive Board welcomed the guests of the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum at the Humboldt Carré. He continued, “Crises are occurring more strongly, more frequently, more intensely and faster than in the past.” This, he stated, meant that the German population was directly “experiencing” the importance of foreign policy. Paulsen stressed that the majority of Germans still supported restraint on the part of their country when it came to international relations. However, it was also clear that the number of Germans advocating stronger German foreign policy involvement was increasing. Paulsen used data from the recent survey “Involvement or Restraint?” (PDF) commissioned by the Körber Foundation, and comparable data from the previous year.
The Federal Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, thanked the Körber Foundation for having initiated a process of reflection about foreign policy issues through the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum because this process had been absent until the establishment of the Forum five years ago. He maintained that current crises and conflicts meant that reflection was vital and emphasized that “This year we have experienced how quickly times can change.”
Involvement or Restraint

Summary of the results (PDF)
Participants
List of Participants (PDF)
Gallery
Photos: Marc Darchinger
Videos
Welcome Remarks by Dr. Thomas Paulsen
Keynote Speech by Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Perspectives of German and European Foreign Policy
Panel Discussion at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2015 with Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Jean Asselborn and Jan Hamáček.
Moderator: Tina Hassel
(video with original sound)
Russia and Europe
Panel Discussion at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2015 with Carl Bildt, Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, Oleksii Makeiev, Dr. Norbert Röttgen and Prof. Vaira Vike-Freiberga.
Moderator: Michael Thumann
The Future of the Middle East
Panel Discussion at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2015 with Dr. Philip Gordon, Sayed Sadegh Kharrazi, Jean-Marie Guéhenno and Ayman Safadi.
Moderator: Nora Müller
Is China’s Growing Military a Threat to Asia?
Körber Debate at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2015 with Colonel Lu Yin and Ambassador Kurt Volker
Moderator: Stefan Kornelius
Europe and the Refugees
Panel Discussion at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2015 with Vuk Jeremić, Dr. Lina Khatib, Lotte Leicht and Dr. Günter Krings
Moderator: Dr. Silvia Engels
(video with original sound)
Agenda
9. November 2015
19:00
Reception at Atrium, Federal Foreign Office
10. November 2015
8:15 – 9:00
Registration
9:00 – 9:10
Welcome Remarks by Dr. Thomas Paulsen, Member, Executive Board,
Körber Foundation, Hamburg
Perspectives of German and European Foreign Policy
9:10 – 9:20
Keynote Speech by Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Federal Republic of Germany
9:20 – 10:30
Panel Discussion
Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic
of Germany
Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Jan Hamáček, Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic
Moderator: Tina Hassel, Head, ARD Berlin Studio
Russia and Europe
11:00 – 12:30
Panel Discussion
Carl Bildt, fmr. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden
Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union, Brussels
Oleksii Makeiev, Political Director, Policy and Communication, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kiev
Dr. Norbert Röttgen, MP, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin
Prof. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, fmr. President of Latvia
Moderator: Michael Thumann, Diplomatic Correspondent, Berlin Office, DIE ZEIT
12:30 – 14:15
Breakout Sessions – Lunch (not open to the press)
The Future of the Middle East
14:45 – 15:45
Panel Discussion
Dr. Philip Gordon, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, New York
Sayed Sadegh Kharrazi, Founder, Iranian Diplomacy, Tehran
Jean-Marie Guéhenno, President and CEO, International Crisis Group (ICG), Brussels
Ayman Safadi, fmr. Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan; Chief Executive Officer, Path Arabia, Abu Dhabi
Moderator: Nora Müller, Executive Director International Affairs, Körber Foundation, Berlin
Körber Debate: Is China’s Growing Military a Threat to Asia?
16:15 – 17:15
Colonel Lu Yin, Associate Professor, National Defense University, People’s Liberation Army, Beijing
Ambassador Kurt Volker, Executive Director, The McCain Institute for International Leadership, Arizona State University, Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Stefan Kornelius, Head, Foreign Policy Department, Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), Munich
Europe and the Refugees
17:30 – 18:30
Panel Discussion
Vuk Jeremić, fmr. Foreign Minister of the Republic of Serbia; President, Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), Belgrade
Dr. Lina Khatib, Senior Research Associate, Arab Reform Initiative, Paris
Dr. Günter Krings, MP, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of the Interior, Berlin
Lotte Leicht, Director, Human Rights Watch, Brussels
Moderator: Dr. Silvia Engels, Advisor, Program Directorate, Deutschlandradio, Cologne