Ilves tweeted that he was honored to join the conference’s advisory council. Along with him, former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski, former British foreign minister David Miliband, and former prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani also joined.

The Munich Security Conference was initiated in 1963 by Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, who had been a member of the Stauffenberg resistance circle in Nazi Germany. Von Kleist-Schmenzin started the conference with the objective to prevent military conflicts. The conference has since been a forum for leaders and experts in security policy.

The conference is different from similar events in that it is entirely private, and does not produce a final statement by the participants. As it isn’t an official government event, it does not have the authority to produce binding bilateral or international agreements.

Still, as a meeting place for leaders and policymakers from around the world, the conference has been invaluable, and has been used by participants to make important political announcements in the past. The role of its advisory council that Ilves joined is to guarantee and improve the conference’s quality by defining its strategic and topical focus, and by working on its partnerships.

According to the conference, the members of the advisory council are “distinguished personalities in the public and private sector who share the values and aims of the Munich Security Conference and identify with them”.