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All Speeches from the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium are online!

18 September 2024. All speeches from the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium are now available online in transcribed form:

Opening speech of the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium by Dr Anna Wieslander ‘With Russia as a systemic threat, Europe needs a new recipe for peace and prosperity’ (with video)

Welcome address M100 Media Award by Mike Schubert, Lord Mayor of Potsdam

Laudatory speech for Dr Vjosa Osmani Sadriu by Rudolf Scharping, former German Federal Minister

Acceptance speech by Dr Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President of the Republic of Kosovo

Laudatory speech for Donald Tusk by Joachim Gauck, former German Federal President

Acceptance speech by Professor Adam Bodnar, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland, on behalf of Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland

Review of the M100SC – The Day

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17 September 2024. Short recap of the conference part of the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium ‘Democracy under Attack’ on 14 September with around 80 leading journalists, scientists and representatives of think tanks from across Europe and the USA: What happened that day? What did the participants take away from the conference? What were the topics?

The video was produced by the Agentur Medienlabor.

“With Russia as a Systemic Threat, Europe Needs a New Recipe for Peace and Prosperity”

Opening Speech by Dr Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council, Sweden, on 14 September in Potsdam

 

“There is a belief that a wait-and-see-how-it-goes approach to Russia could be beneficial for a peaceful path ahead,” said Anna Wieslander in her opening speech at the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium last Thursday. “Such a conviction is based on considerations such as: Is there really a danger in hoping for the best, signalling a desire for dialogue and détente, regardless of Russia’s behaviour? Isn’t this simply responsible leadership, an attempt to avoid escalating the conflict, to open up to communication and mutual understanding and to scale back military aspects?
Unfortunately, no. In fact, inaction and hesitation could accelerate aggressive behaviour. In this regard, too, the answer to the question lies in recognising Russia as a systemic threat. Misperceptions or misjudgements can have major repercussions, as the Munich Agreement of 1938 taught us.”
Europe must “develop a long-term strategy beyond the immediate situation. Europe needs to realize that yes, Russia will geographically always be at the border of Europe, but no, it is not inevitably a part of Europe or necessarily included in our security order. Europe should instead balance against Russia.”
You can read and watch Anna Wieslander’s full speech here.