Terrorism, the refugee emergency, the future of Nato and the main regional crises are just some of the main issues to be tackled by the Security Conference opening in Munich tomorrow.
The agenda for the two-day conference, which will be attended for Italy by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni and the Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti, also includes sessions dedicated to specific aspects of the conflict with Daesh and the potential impact of international initiatives taken to protect fundamental rights, Internet freedom, regional balances.
Minister Gentiloni will participate in the ‘Panel Discussion on Refugees’, which will deal with issues such as identifying the main obstacles – and the tools for their removal – and providing a more collegiate response by the EU to the migration crisis; options for transforming the crisis into an opportunity for the refugee reception policy; recipes for combating populist sentiment hostile to migrants in EU countries; the possibility for the EU to simultaneously manage the migration, financial and political crises; any repercussions on the European project of a suspension of the Schengen Agreement; solutions for strengthening joint European border protection operations.
Munich Conference instituted in 1963, at the height of the cold war, by publisher von Kleist
The Munich conference was founded in 1963, at the height of the cold war, by publisher Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, who participated in the failed plot to assassinate Hitler in July 1944. At the time it was known as the Wehrkunde and was intended to enable security experts from the USA and Western Europe to hold discussions and strengthen transatlantic relations.
International Syria Support Group
Meanwhile, this evening, the Minister will be attending the fourth ministerial meeting of the International Syria Support Group, which, in addition to Italy, includes Germany, France, United Kingdom, USA, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, EU, Arab League and the UN. Previous meetings in this format were held in Vienna on 30 October and 14 November 2015, while the third meeting was held in New York on 18 December. Minister Gentiloni has attended all the Group’s meetings. The Munich meeting is taking place at a delicate stage of the Syrian crisis, following the suspension on 3rd February of the Inter-Syrian Talks in Geneva and the deterioration of the situation on the ground.
