Dr. Markus EDERER

Ambassador, European Union to the Russian Federation; Head of Delegation, Moscow

Markus Ederer was born in Germany in 1957. He graduated in Law at the University of Passau. Since October 2017, Markus Ederer has been Ambassador-Head of Delegation to the Russian Federation. Between January 2014 until October 2017, he held the post of State Secretary at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From January 2011 to January 2014, Markus Ederer was in Beijing as Ambassador-Head of Delegation of the European Union's Delegation to China and Mongolia. From December 2005 to December 2010, he was the Head of Policy Planning in the German Federal Foreign Office. His career in the German Foreign Office started in 1990 when he was the Personal Secretary to Minister of State Helmut Schäfer. He then went on to Moscow where he served in the Economic Department of the German Embassy. In 1993 he returned to Germany where he served in the Press Department and later became Deputy Spokesman for the German Foreign Office. In 1999 he moved to Brussels where he took up the post of Head of Cabinet of the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. In April 2002 he became the Director of Political/Economic Assessment in the Federal Intelligence Service in Germany. Markus Ederer holds a Doctoral Degree in International Law (University of Passau) and a Master of Laws degree (University of Miami).

Andrey KORTUNOV

Director General, RIAC - Russian International Affairs Council, Moscow

Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and postgraduate studies at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, USSR Academy of Sciences. Holds a Ph.D. degree in History. Was Deputy Director of the Institute for US and Canadian Studies. Founder and first president of the Moscow Public Science Foundation. Academic focus: international relations, foreign and domestic policy of Russia and Russian-American relations.

Kadri LIIK

Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR - European Council on Foreign Relations, London

Before joining ECFR in October 2012, Kadri was the director of the International Centre for Defence Studies in Estonia from 2006 until 2011, where she also worked as a senior researcher and director of the Centre’s Lennart Meri Conference. Throughout the 1990s, Kadri worked as a Moscow correspondent for several Estonian daily papers. In 2002, she became the foreign news editor at Postimees. In 2004, she left to become editor-in-chief at the monthly foreign affairs magazine, Diplomaatia.

Sergey UTKIN

Head of Strategic Assessment Section, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Sergey Utkin since 2016 heads Strategic Assessment Section at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences. From 2016 until June 2018 he also headed Foreign and Security Policy Department at the Moscow-based Centre for Strategic Research. He holds a PhD in political science (international relations), which he received at IMEMO in 2006. His research is focused on foreign and security policy of the EU, the EU’s relations with Russia and the US, Russia’s foreign policy in the Euro-Atlantic area.

Dr. Thomas MAYR-HARTING

Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia, EEAS - European External Action Service, Brussels

1977	Diploma, Law Studies in Vienna
1977-1978	Postgraduate-Studies, College of Europe, Bruges
1978	Diploma of The Hague Academy of International Law, The Hague
1979	Joined the Austrian Diplomatic Service
1982-1986	Austrian Mission to the European Communities, Brussels
1986-1990	Austrian Embassy, Moscow
1991-1993	Private Office of the Austrian Foreign Minister, Vienna
1993-1995	Deputy Head of Cabinet of Foreign Ministers Mock and Schüssel, Vienna
1995-1999	Deputy Political Director and Director for Security Policy and Policy Planning, Austrian Foreign Ministry, Vienna
1999-2003	Ambassador of Austria to Belgium and Head of the Austrian Mission to NATO, Brussels
2002-2004	Special Representative of the Austrian Foreign Minister for the Western Balkans
2003-2004	Representative of the Chancellor in the Reform Commission of the Federal Army, Vienna
2003-2008	Political Director (Director General for Political Affairs) of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, Vienna
2008-2011	Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations, New York
2009-2010	Also represented Austria on the United Nations Security Council, New York
2011	Vice-President of the 66th General Assembly of the UN, New York
2011-2015	Ambassador, (Head of the Delegation) of the European Union to the United Nations, New York
	Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges and Natolin
	Lecturer, Diplomatic Academy, Vienna
since 2015	Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia, European External Action Service, Brussels