On Friday, the German metropolis of Munich will host its annual safety convention, bringing collectively high politicians, defence specialists and contributors to each side of the warfare in Ukraine. Russia is not going to be represented.
Moscow has not been invited to this yr’s Munich Security Conference (MSC).
“We didn’t invite official representatives from Russia because we don’t want the Munich Security Conference to serve as a podium for Russian propaganda,” says Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, MSC’s Chairman, talking in an interview with Politico.
This yr’s Munich Security Report, a publication that coincides with the convention, laments that “the world’s liberal democracies are awakening to the challenges posed by autocratic revisionists” in nations like Russia, China and North Korea.
The MSC was based in 1963 by a former German resistance fighter, Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist Schmenzin, with the purpose of stopping world battle.
Initially, solely representatives from Western nations took half, however since 1999, the convention has welcomed political and army delegates from Central and Eastern Europe in addition to from India, Japan and the People’s Republic of China.
This yr, as the primary anniversary of the Ukraine invasion approaches, there isn’t any place for the Kremlin.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine befell only a week earlier than the 2022 Munich Security Conference, and the warfare will clearly be on the centre of discussions this yr.
According to the official web site, the concept behind the Munich convention is to not “lecture or ignore one another”. Guests are as an alternative inspired to “engage with and learn from each other”.
Common floor?
“We will have a very strong US executive and legislative delegation, German, Ukrainian and European participation,” in accordance with Heusgen, with US Vice-President Kamela Harris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the EU Presidency participating.
Heusgen factors to the presence of a considerable Chinese delegation lead by China’s State Councillor Wang Yi, chief of Beijing’s diplomacy.
“China is watching very carefully what happens with Ukraine,” in accordance with Heusgen. “I’m very happy that the Chinese agreed to attend Munich and that we keep them in discussions. Let’s see if we can’t find some common ground for foreign policy.”
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Before heading to Munich, Wang was in Paris the place he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, after which each “expressed the same objective of contributing to peace in accordance with international law”.
The Elysee Palace mentioned that Macron would deal with the MSC and focus on how one can “ensure Russia’s defeat” in Ukraine in addition to future “mechanisms” to uphold peace in Europe.
Travel disruption
Meanwhile, it’s not clear how lots of the individuals will truly attain the MSC.
Over 700 passenger flights can be cancelled at Munich airport on Friday, the primary day of the convention, as the results of a strike by floor and safety workers.
Air visitors on the airports of Frankfurt and Munich had been already hampered earlier this week because of what was described as ” a major IT outage caused by construction work”.
Originally printed on RFI