59th Munich Security Conference
Diplomatic meeting
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The 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC 2023) took place from 17 to 19 February 2023 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich.
| 59th Munich Security Conference Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nickname | MSC 2023 |
| Begins | 17 February 2023 |
| Ends | 19 February 2023 |
| Venue | Hotel Bayerischer Hof |
| Locations | Munich, Germany |
| Previous event | 58th (2022) |
| Next event | 60th (2024) |
Attendees
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Participants included the following political representatives:
Olaf Scholz, Chancellor- Robert Habeck, Vice-chancellor
Kamala Harris, Vice President- Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
Mélanie Joly, Foreign Minister
Emmanuel Macron, President- Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defence
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General
Wang Yi, Chinese Communist Party Politburo foreign chief and Foreign Minister of China
Andrzej Duda, President
Francia Márquez, Vice President
Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister
Nana Akufo-Addo, President
Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv- Volodymyr Zelensky, President (virtually).
- Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence
Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister
Reza Pahlavi, former Crown Prince of Iran
Ilham Aliyev, President
Milo Đukanović, President
Egils Levits, President
Gitanas Nausėda, President
Vjosa Osmani, President
Stevo Pendarovski, President
Nataša Pirc Musar, President
Rumen Radev, President
Maia Sandu, President- Nana Akufo-Addo, President
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister- Bill Gates
Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister
Sanna Marin, Prime Minister- Michael McCaul, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister- Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey
Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister
Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister
Najla Bouden Romdhane, Prime Minister
Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Prime Minister
Irakli Gharibashvili, Prime Minister- Dimitar Kovačevski, Prime Minister
Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister
Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister
Edi Rama, Prime Minister
Aleksandar Vučić, President
Overview
The conference was dominated by the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Vladimir Putin and his 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine were discussed by most of the speakers but he was not invited and did not attend.[1] The New York Times reported that the world was tense and fractured as the West also faced confrontation with China and a global South "often dismissive of perceived Western hypocrisy and not always persuaded by the West’s moral indignation over the invasion of Ukraine".[2]
Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Wang Yi announced his peace initiative for the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] On the same day US Vice President Kamala Harris urged China not to arm Russia,[4] while she announced that the US "has determined Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine."[5] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was adamant that "Any peace has to be consistent with the principles of the United Nations Charter."[6]
Newly minted German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius witnessed unity which gave him hope about the events in Ukraine:[6]
What I see is a very, very strong unity, the very strong commitment in joint commitment that we want, and we will support Ukraine as long as it takes. And this is very important, a very important signal for the Ukrainian people, which really fights a very, very admirable fight against Russian aggression.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Garry Kasparov were invited along with several other guests to discuss "Russia Reimagined: Visions for a Democratic Future".[7][8]
During multiple panel discussions, Vice President of Colombia Francia Márquez and Foreign Minister of Brazil Mauro Vieira concurred in their condemnation of the Russian aggression, but also stated their opposition to a further militarization of the conflict.[9][clarification needed] Márquez called for a new world order, centering life and not militarisation, while Vieira stated that it is necessary to work step by step towards a negotiated settlement in the Russo-Ukrainian war.[9]
At a panel on Iran and the Women, Life, Freedom protests the son of the deposed Shah, Reza Pahlavi, was invited to share his vision for the future of Iran.[10] The International Business Times comments that he has no experience, and is trying to "pluck the fruits of others labor".[11]