This was the first seminar to be held in London by the Russia/Eurasia Programme’s project on the foreign and security policy of Russia’s regions. At this event on 10 December 2002 we examined Russia’s Northwestern regions and their relations with their neighbouring states in the Baltic Sea area. The seminar was an opportunity to build on the material published in the first issue of the IISS Russia/Eurasia Programme, Russian Regional Perspectives on Foreign and Security Policy. Two of the Russian authors from the publication were able to join us from Russia. Nikita Lomagin from the European University, St. Petersburg spoke on soft security challenges for Northwest Russia and the EU and Alexander Gusakov from Severodvinsk in Arkhangelsk region spoke on regional cooperation on the decommissioning of Russia’s nuclear submarines. Oksana Antonenko and Kathryn Pinnick from the IISS also gave presentations. The seminar was attended by academics, journalists, analysts, business representatives, diplomats from the Estonian and Polish Embassies to the UK and by IISS staff.
