Wikipedia

Fabien Baussart

Fabien Baussart ((1973-01-25)25 January 1973) is the founder and president of the 2006 established think tank Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA),[1][2] which organizes events and discussions on various geopolitical topics around the world[3] with prominent political figures such as Zbigniew Brzezinski, Kofi Annan, José María Aznar, Mohamed ElBaradei, and Al Gore.[4][5]

Fabien Baussart
Born (1973-01-25) 25 January 1973 (age 51)
Paris, France
Occupation(s)President of the center of political and foreign affairs
Websitethecpfa.com

Biography

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Baussart is a businessman[6][7] who has invested in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.[8] In 2005 he founded Xorus Press Inc.[9]'[10] which published the French and Russian editions of Foreign Policy[11] and invested in various media outlets in Ukraine, Russia and France. In 2010, Baussart sponsored a new art magazine entitled Le Monde de l'Art, which launched in Paris and was directed by the writer Guillaume de Sardes.[12] He also sponsored the KitSon Club, a French think tank.[13]

Fabien Baussart worked on solving various political crises, focusing particularly on Libya[14] and Syria,[15] by facilitating peace talks between different protagonists.

In 2015, as president of CPFA, he initiated peace talks on Syria in Astana with Randa Kassis by appealing to the first Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev.[16]

Political initiatives

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Peace in Syria

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In 2015 Baussart and Randa Kassis appealed to the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev to launch a peaceful solution to the crisis and launch a political platform that could assemble moderate Syrian opponents.[17][18]

Two first meeting was chaired by the Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov in May 2015. The second meeting was opened by the Secretary of State of Kazakhstan Gulshara Abdykalikova and mediated by Fabien Baussart and the Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Mussinov.[19][20] The meetings resulted in two resolutions being signed by the participants, which created the Astana Platform and helped pave the way for the peace process in Astana.[21][22]

In February and July 2017 Baussart and Kassis initiated discussions in Geneva to develop a preparatory document to reform the Syrian Constitution.[23][24] This initiative was promoted during the National Conference in Sochi in January 2018 by Randa Kassis despite objections from the Syrian government and part of the opposition.[25][26]

Peace talks – Kazakhstan

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In 2015, Fabien Baussart launched a "Committee of the Wise" that would address various issues related to international peace.

The committee gathered several prominent political figures and Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including former Israeli President Shimon Peres, former Vice President of Egypt and general-director of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei, former President of Poland Lech Walesa, Guatemalan human rights activist Rigoberta Menchu Tom and Chairman of the IPCC Rajendra Pachauri,[27][28] former President of Colombia Cesar Gaviria and former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero. The Committee met in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, where they were received by President Nazarbayev in the Presidential Palace.[29]

Nuclear Non – Proliferation Initiative

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In 2016 Baussart organised a conference on nuclear non-proliferation with guest speakers Kofi Annan, Bronislaw Komorowski, Jack Straw, Yasar Yakis and Giulio Terzi.[30]

Controversy

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In 2010, Fabien Baussart, a close friend of Thaksin Shinawatra, stood by him to oppose a potential expulsion from France. At the time, Shinawatra was facing political harassment led by Bernard Kouchner, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.[31][32][33]

In December 2016, Baussart through his CPFA nominated Vladimir Putin for the Nobel Peace Prize.[34][35] Baussart stated, "I believe that President Putin has deserved it. He is the only one who is truly fighting terrorism and especially against ISIS in Palmyra, Syria."[35][36]

Personal

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Baussart is married to Syrian-born Randa Kassis who is a close friend of Sergey Lavrov.[34][37] Following a speech by Donald Trump Jr., for the CPFA in the Louis XV Salon at the in Hotel Ritz Paris on 11 October 2016, Kassis allegedly flew to Moscow and stated that she could serve as a back door communication link between the Trump presidency and Vladimir Putin regarding the political process in Syria .[38][34][39][40][41][42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Solomon, Jay (23 November 2016). "Donald Trump Jr. Held Talks on Syria With Russia Supporters". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Center of Political and Foreign Affairs". Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  3. ^ Fair, Vanity; France, Condé Nast Digital (21 April 2017). "Comment Vladimir Poutine s'invite à la présidentielle". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  4. ^ "SEBASTIAN PIÑERA E. EN LA PRESIDENCIA DE CHILE". sebastian-pinera-presidente.blogspot.com. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Des agences fixent la cote des Ex". Challenges. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Trump's son met Moscow-backed Syrian 'opposition' politician". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  7. ^ uz, Kun. "Tashkent, Paris prepare joint projects". Kun.uz. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  8. ^ "fabien baussart russie". diembaovn.info. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  9. ^ "List of participants – third Annual YES Meeting – Yalta Annual Meeting – YES". yes-ukraine.org. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  10. ^ "XORUS PRESSE INC". www.quebecentreprises.com. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  11. ^ "NEW VISION CONFERENCE POST-BUSH AMERICA AND THE WORLD: CAN THE GAP BE CLOSED? October 2nd and 3rd 2008 Hotel Amigo, Brussels – Belgium" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Presse Edition :: Numéro 1:Le Monde de l'Art". presseedition.fr. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  13. ^ "NameBright - Coming Soon". Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  14. ^ Andrea Morigi (1 July 2018). "Il ministro sfida la Francia e prepara l' asse con Tripoli". Alleanza Cattolica (in Italian). Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Donald Trump Jr held secret talks with pro-Russia politicians over what to do in Syria". The Independent. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Syria – Center of Political and Foreign Affairs". Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  17. ^ Putz, Catherine. "Kazakhstan to Host Syria Talks". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Le fils de Trump a rencontré une femme politique de l' " opposition " syrienne soutenue par Moscou". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  19. ^ October 2015, Malika Orazgaliyeva in International on 6 (6 October 2015). "Representatives of Syrian Opposition Meet in Astana". The Astana Times. Retrieved 23 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Sceaux, Groupe Gaulliste (15 March 2016). "Fabien Baussart : La solution militaire d'où qu'elle vienne ne sera jamais viable". Groupe Gaulliste Sceaux (in French). Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  21. ^ INFORM.KZ (4 October 2015). "В Астане подписана итоговая декларация по борьбе с кризисом в Сирии (ФОТО)". inform.kz (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Second round of Syrian opposition talks to kick off in Astana on Friday". Ақ Жайық (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Astana Platform". astanaplatform.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  24. ^ "Second round of Syrian opposition talks to kick off in Astana on Friday". Ақ Жайық (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  25. ^ "Russia's Syrian peace conference teeters on farce". The Guardian. 30 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Conférence mouvementée à Sotchi sur la paix en Syrie". RFI. 30 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Kazakhstan peace talks". The CPFA.
  28. ^ "Kassis meets Beibut Atamkulov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan". Randa Kassis.
  29. ^ "Мемлекет басшысы Ақылмандар кеңесінің мүшелерімен кездесті". ҚАЗАҚСТАН РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫ ПРЕЗИДЕНТІНІҢ. 18 September 2015.
  30. ^ "Nuclear Non-Proliferation". The CPFA.
  31. ^ "Thaksin to defy Kouchner's call not to speak in Paris". RFI. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Shinawatra prié de se taire". lejdd.fr (in French). 31 May 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Thaksin, invité surprise de Baussart - 28/05/2010". La Lettre (in French). 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  34. ^ a b c Crowley, Michael (March 2017). "All of Trump's Russia Ties, in 7 Charts". Politico. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  35. ^ a b RIA Novosti staff (20 December 2016). "Французский политолог выдвинул Путина на Нобелевскую премию мира" [French political scientist nominates Putin for Nobel Peace Prize]. Ria Novosti (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  36. ^ "French think tank proposes Putin for Nobel Peace Prize". Russia Beyond the Headlines. 21 December 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  37. ^ MEE staff (24 November 2016). "Trump's son met Moscow-backed Syrian 'opposition' politician: Donald Trump Jr met Randa Kassis before US election, strengthening expectations Trump administration will side with Russia in Syria". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  38. ^ Sallon, Hélène; Vitkine, Benoît (19 March 2017). "Fabien Baussart, l'intermédiaire proche de Moscou qui a fait venir Donald Trump Jr à Paris: Compagnon d'une opposante syrienne adoubée par le Kremlin, l'homme d'affaires cultive ses réseaux russes depuis le début des années 1990" [Fabien Baussart, the Moscow-close intermediary who brought Donald Trump Jr to Paris: A companion of a Syrian opposition leader endorsed by the Kremlin, the businessman has been cultivating his Russian networks since the early 1990s.]. Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  39. ^ Cloud, David S. (17 November 2017). "Donald Trump Jr.'s 2016 trip to Paris for lunch with Moscow-linked couple remains a puzzle". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Donald Trump Jr. Discussed Syria Conflict With pro-Russia Advocates in October: After Paris event, head of Syrian opposition group touts that she succeeded in conveying importance of Russian-U.S. cooperation on Syria through contact with President-elect Trump's eldest son". Haaretz. 24 November 2016. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  41. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (24 November 2016). "Donald Trump's son held secret talks on working with Russia to end Syria conflict: The 38-year-old's presence at the meeting has raised questions about what role Mr Trump's family will play in his administration". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  42. ^ ABC News staff (2 March 2017). "For Donald Trump Jr., lingering questions about meeting with pro-Russia group: A key organizer briefed a top Russian official on soiree". ABC News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
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