E3+3 negotiations with Iran and the regional power play in the MENA region

On June 19th a small circle of Members of the German Bundestag, representatives from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, media and business came together to discuss the current situation in the Middle East. Against the backdrop of the ongoing E3+3 negotiations with Iran – until now one of the most successful chapters of European foreign policy – the group had a look at the broader picture:  the regional power play between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Beside the latest developments in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, the crises in Iraq and Syria as well as the IS as a cross-border threat were therefore also discussed. Further questions adressed were the future role of Europe and Germany in this context and whether or not the Iran could be integrated into the efforts to cope with the challanges in the MENA region if a successful conclusion to the negotiations can be reached.

Before a vived debate between the whole group took place, Javier Solana, former High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, Dr. Norbert Röttgen, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU), and Mark Leonard, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), gave impuls statements presenting their views on these topics. They further enriched the round of talks by adding their experience in international politics and German and European foreign policy to the discussion.