Coordinator of the Clingedael Russia and Eastern Europe Centre Bob Deen and director of Estonian think tank ICDS Indrek Kannik signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two think tanks. The memorandum states that both institutions wish to establish their bilateral cooperation and good relations and enhance the development of further ties and networks.

Bob Deen: “The Clingendael Institute is glad to intensify our cooperation with the ICDS and to tap into its vast expertise on Russia, Eastern Europe and other issues of mutual interest. Our network of partner think tanks is extremely valuable for us, not only for our research projects but also to maintain a permanent dialogue with experts from other EU countries and EU candidate countries.”

Kristi Raik, Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the ICDS: “It is a very timely initiative to develop cooperation between Clingendael and ICDS, especially regarding developments in Russia and Eastern Europe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a new geopolitical reality where we need to strengthen discussions among security experts in different European countries on how best to tackle the Russian threat to European security.”

The International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) is the leading think-tank in Estonia specialising in foreign policy, security and defence issues.