Toomas Hendrik Ilves to draft Baltic Sea states council's future report

Estonia has appointed former president Toomas Hendrik Ilves as a high-level rapporteur, who will have the responsibility of drafting a report outlining the future direction of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).
Ilves is joined by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in this role, while the report itself is to aim to foster stronger regional security cooperation.
Commenting on the appointments, Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said: "I am delighted that President Ilves and former Foreign Minister Landsbergis agreed to take on such a responsible role."
"The most important task of the rapporteurs is to prepare a report on the future directions of the CBSS," Tsahkna added, noting recent events in the Baltic Sea, such as the damage to the Estlink 2 submarine electricity cable, which is currently offline.
Congratulations to @IlvesToomas & @GLandsbergis on their new roles as #CBSSwisepersons of the @CBSSsecretariat.
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) January 13, 2025
I wish them both good luck & I'm looking forward to reading their vision of the role of the #CBSS, especially considering the recent events in the Baltic Sea. https://t.co/VnJjWs21Zr
The report will be presented in Tallinn this May, when Estonia is to host the annual CBSS foreign ministers' meeting.
Ahead of that, a presentation event on the report is scheduled for January 20 in Tallinn, with both Ilves and Landsbergis taking part.

Estonia has chaired the CBSS since July 1, focusing on security, sustainability, and the involvement of Ukraine.
Estonia is to hand over the CBSS leadership role to Poland on July 1.
At a meeting in Porvoo, Finland held last year, the CBSS foreign ministers decided that their high-level rapporteurs will define the organization's future.
The Eagle S, the ship, thought to be a part of Russia's shadow fleet, whose trailing anchor caused the damage to the Estlink 2 cable, is currently moored off Porvoo after being apprehended by Finnish authorities.
The CBSS is an intergovernmental political organization aimed at regional cooperation, which supports a regional perspective on global challenges, the organization states on its website.
Member states are Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden – in addition to Estonia, Finland, and Poland, while the EU itself is also a member.
Toomas Hendrik Ilves was president of Estonia across two consecutive terms, 2006-2016.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte