Munich (Union, agencies)
Yesterday, the 60th session of the Munich Security Conference, which is the largest of its kind in the world, began with the participation of more than 100 heads of state and government, ministers of defense and foreign affairs, and civil society organizations.
Conference President Christoph Heutzgen opened the conference, which is being held in Munich, southern Germany.
The conference addresses a number of international security issues, including the war in Gaza and the Ukraine crisis, in addition to the crises in the Horn of Africa, mechanisms for enhancing the role of international law in conflicts, the security challenges posed by environmental changes, food security, migration, and the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence.
According to the conference program, the list of the most prominent attendees at the conference included United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and US Vice President Camilla Harris, in addition to dozens of international officials.
Kamala Harris, US Vice President Joe Biden, began her speech during the Munich Security Conference by reassuring Western allies of the continued commitment of the United States to NATO.
Harris said that the United States will never back down from its commitments in NATO that were established after World War II, less than a week after former US President Donald Trump announced that he “will not defend NATO allies who have failed to spend enough on Defense”.
Harris added, “Our commitment to building and maintaining alliances has helped America become the strongest and most prosperous country in the world.”
She pointed out that the number of NATO countries that achieved the defense spending target of 2% of GDP has doubled since Biden became president in 2021.
The US Vice President continued: “No mistakes, the American people will rise to the occasion, and the United States will continue to lead.”
During her speech, Harris said that there will be no peace in the Middle East, nor between Palestinians and Israelis, without the two-state solution.
For his part, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that officials from European countries that help fund the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries will meet on the sidelines of the Munich conference to begin discussing the future of the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians after a possible ceasefire in Gaza.
Cameron added in statements to the British House of Lords: “There are many things we need to start talking about now, whether it is about how to present a political horizon for people in the Palestinian territories, or, in fact, how we deal with Israel’s security concerns.”
Yesterday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, met on the sidelines of the Munich conference.
This meeting comes within the framework of the efforts made by Beijing and Washington to stabilize the relationship between the two countries, as a continuation of a summit between the American and Chinese presidents held last November in California. The two ministers did not make any statement to reporters.
#Munich #Security…The #Ukraine #crisis #Gaza #war #top #worlds #concerns