Former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has launched a new high-level group to galvanise support for democratic Armenia and promote peace in the South Caucasus.

The Friends of Armenia Network, which includes former prime ministers, parliamentarians, and diplomats, aims to bring Armenia closer to like-minded democracies in Europe and around the world.

The group met for the first time yesterday remotely and was briefed on the latest political developments by the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan.

Speaking after the launch of the group, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said:

“In the last few days, Azerbaijan launched a major offensive against the ethnic-Armenian population in Nagorno Karabakh. There is a significant danger of ethnic cleansing occurring if the international community does not act.

“Azerbaijan’s actions make the work of this new group even more important. Armenia is a fledgling democracy in an incredibly difficult and dangerous neighbourhood. The Armenian government is making an active effort to improve relations with other democratic countries in Europe and beyond. Our group is committed to supporting Armenia in those efforts, and supporting a sustainable peace in the region.

“This was the inaugural meeting of our group, over the coming months, we will put forward new ideas and proposals to strengthen Armenia’s place in the democratic family of nations.”

Note to editors:

Anders Fogh Rasmussen is chairman of the Friends of Armenia Network. Other members include:

Mikuláš Dzurinda – Martens Centre President, Minister of Foreign affairs (2010-2012), Prime Minister of Slovakia (1998 -2006)

Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz – Member of the European Parliament (2009-…), Marshal of the Sejm (2005), Minister of Foreign affairs (2001 – 2005), Prime Minister of Poland (1996 – 1977)

Anne-Laurence Petel – Member of the French Assemblée nationale (2017-…), Chair of the parliamentary friendship group with Armenia (2022-…)

Raimundas Lopata – Member of the Lithuanian Seimas (2020-…), Chair of the parliamentary friendship group with Armenia (2020-…)

Štefan Füle – Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood policy (2010-2014), Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (2009)

Dietmar Nietan – Member of the German Bundestag (1998-2002, 2005-…), Treasurer of the Social Democratic Party

Els Van Hoof – Member of Belgian Chambre des représentants (2014-2019, 2019-…), Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs (2019-…), Senator (2008, 2009-2014)

Charles Flanagan – Member of the Irish Oireachtas (2020-…), Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence (2020-…), Minister of Justice (2017-2020), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2014-2017)

Since March 2023, Rasmussen Global has been working with the Armenian government to help improve connections with the European Union and the wider democratic world.

Statement by former NATO Secretary General and Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the Vilnius NATO summit and G7 declaration on support for Ukraine:

“Today G7 members will adopt a wide-ranging security pact with Ukraine in Vilnius. This is an important moment and it is welcome that it happens on the sidelines of the NATO summit. It shows Ukraine’s partners are united in moving from the ad-hoc support provided to date to a long-term vision from Ukraine’s security.

This agreement is built on the Kyiv Security Compact that I authored with the President Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. It includes the four central elements that we proposed: transfer of NATO standard weapons, enhanced intelligence sharing, a major expansion of training and exercises with Ukrainian forces, and support to develop Ukraine’s military industrial base. Its purpose is clear, to ensure that Ukraine wins this war and make sure Russia is never able to do this again.

Despite welcome developments on security guarantees, the NATO summit has disappointed when it comes to outlining a clear path to Ukraine’s membership. Security guarantees are not an end destination for Ukraine – they are designed to provide stability while Ukraine moves towards NATO and EU membership. Vilnius was an opportunity to set out these next steps clearly, instead there was only a promise that Ukraine will be invited when unspecified “conditions are met.”

Since 2008, Ukraine has been left in NATO’s waiting room. This is a dangerous place to be. If we want to move on from the mistakes of the past, the new Ukraine-NATO Council must not be another talking shop. Instead, it must focus on practical questions to move Ukraine’s NATO aspirations forward, with a concrete timeline. By next year’s NATO summit in Washington, NATO leaders should be able to extend an invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance. Only when this happens will Vladimir Putin understand that Ukraine’s future is at the heart of NATO, and there is nothing he can do to prevent it.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has established an international working group on security guarantees for Ukraine. The working group will be co-chaired by Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, and former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The working group will be made up of leading experts from politics, foreign policy, diplomacy, and academia. The exact composition of the group will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The group will put forward recommendations on an effective mechanism to guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security.

Speaking after the working group was announced, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said:

“It is an honour to have been asked by President Zelenskyy to co-chair this international working group. The overwhelming priority now is ensuring that Ukraine wins this war. However, we also need to find mechanisms to guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security.

“The Ukrainian people have shown immense bravery in the face of a barbaric and unprovoked invasion. We put guarantees in place to ensure that this can never happen again.

“No commitments from third countries can replace Ukraine’s own strong defence capabilities. The working group will also look at how Ukraine’s partners can help bolster and rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces to deter future aggression.”

Statement from the Office of the President of Ukraine