Revisiting Helsinki: Security Principles in a Multipolar World

In December 2025, the Körber-Stiftung in cooperation with the Ankara Institute, Chatham House, and Oxford University convened a Global History & Politics Dialogue on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, in Istanbul. The conference brought together a small group of selected participants from politics, history, and international affairs for an in-depth and forward-looking exchange informed by the applied history approach.

The dialogue reflected on the historical context that enabled the Helsinki Final Act, examining the drivers behind the diplomacy, the goals of its leading actors, and the role of civil society and human rights activism in shaping its outcomes. Participants discussed how the Final Act helped establish a continent-wide security framework, promote human rights, and contribute to the peaceful end of the Cold War, and considered its lasting legacy for contemporary international relations.

Attention was also given to the distinctive features of Helsinki diplomacy, including the Helsinki Spirit, and how this concept influenced negotiation strategies and multilateral cooperation. The discussions connected these historical lessons to today’s urgent challenges, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine, exploring how diplomatic settlement efforts might be structured, which international actors and mechanisms could play a role, and what preconditions would be needed to achieve lasting peace.

Finally, the dialogue examined the evolving question of European security in the 21st century. Building on the legacy of Helsinki and the OSCE, participants debated potential frameworks for a renewed security architecture, the priorities of major stakeholders such as the US, EU, UK, and Türkiye, and the challenges of ways that could stabilize the continent. Through these exchanges, the event highlighted how historical insights can inform the search for sustainable diplomacy and cooperation in today’s fragmented and complex geopolitical landscape.

Monday, 15 December

18:15 – 18:30

Welcome Remarks

By Taha Özhan, Research Director at the Ankara Institute, by Florian Bigge, Programme Director at the Körber-Stiftung, and by Faisal Devji, Beit Professor for Global and Imperial History and Co-Director of the programme on Global Orders at Oxford University.

18:30 – 19:30

Keynote Session: Diplomacy in a Contested World

Conversation with H.E. President Abdullah Gül (2007 – 2014), the Republic of Türkiye.

19:30

Gala Dinner

Tuesday, 16 December

09:00 – 09:15

Introduction

By Florian Bigge and Galip Dalay, Senior Consulting Fellow at Chatham House and Co-Director of Programme on Global Orders at the University of Oxford.

09:15 – 10:30

The Helsinki Final Act: Context, Significance and Implications

Inputs by Paul Betts, Historian at the University of Oxford, by Kai Hebel, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Leiden University, by Ayşe Zarakol, Professor, of International Relations at the University of Cambridge, and by Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, Professor at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the Åbo Akademi University. Moderated by Galip Dalay.

10:30 – 11:00

Break

11:00 – 12:15

The Helsinki Final Act: Process, Diplomacy, and Legacy

Inputs by Andrew Thompson, Historian at the University of Oxford, by Anja Mihr, Founder and Programme Director of the Center on Governance through Human Rights at the Berlin Governanve Platform, by Bradley Reynolds, Hitorian and Senior Researcher at the University of Turki, and by Katharina McLarren, Senior Research Fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Moderated by Kanishk Tharoor, Deputy Editor at the Foreign Affairs magazine.

12:15 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 15:15

The Road Ahead in Ukraine (I): Prospects for Diplomatic Settlement?

Inputs by Natalie Sabanadze, Senior Research Fellow at the Clatham House, by Yevgenia Gaber, Professor for Regional Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, by Daria Isachenko, Political Scientist for Türkiye-Russia relations at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and by Andrea Salvoni, Senior Advisor to the Secretary General at the OSCE. Moderated by Basharat Peer, Contributing Editor at the TIME magazine.

15:15 – 15:45

Break

15:45 – 17:00

The Road Ahead in Ukraine (II): The Making of a New European Security Architecture?

Inputs by David Behar, Deputy Director of the Centre for Analysis, Planning and Strategy at the French Foreign Ministry, by James Ford, Deputy Ambassador for the UK Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna, by Evren Balta, Academic Coordinator of the TÜSIAD Global Politics Forum at the Özyeğin University, and by Stefan Meister, Head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia at the German Council for Foreign Relations. Moderated by Galip Dalay.

17:00 – 19:00

Closing Remarks

19:30

Dinner

This Global History & Politics Dialogue was a joint project of the Körber History Forum, the Ankara Insitute, Chatham House and Oxford University.