Middle East Consultation Group

On December 8, 2024, the MSC launched the MECG with an off-the-record meeting held on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar. Looking ahead, the MECG will convene a series of meetings until the fall of 2025. Significant gatherings took place at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025. In addition, stand-alone events in various capitals in the region, hosted by the respective governments, and roundtable discussions on the margins of international events will also take place over the coming months. Participants will explore issues including but not limited to the Middle East’s political, security, economic and human development as well as opportunities to unlock and expand regional cooperation. Through this initiative bringing together diverse voices, the MSC seeks to contribute towards broader efforts to foster pathways for a more stable, harmonious and prosperous Middle East.

The MECG and its meetings are chaired by Vice-President of the MSC Foundation Council, Ambassador Helga Maria Schmid, who serves as President of the European Institute of Peace and is the former Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Schmid and MSC Vice-Chairman Ambassador Rainer Rudolph lead this initiative, setting its framework, agenda and guiding the work of the group throughout 2025.