Russian and Iranian officials were not invited to this year's Munich Security Conference because they "were not open to a meaningful dialogue," said Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the annual event, Reuters reports, according to UNN.
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The Munich Security Conference, sometimes called the "Davos of defense," will be held in the southern German city from February 16 to 18.
The event will open a few days before the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and four months after the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.
According to the conference chairman, the event will discuss these two wars, as well as others that receive less attention but cause serious humanitarian crises, such as the 10-month war in Sudan.
Christoph Heusgen also expects high-ranking Chinese officials to attend. Last year, the event was attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
However, as Heusgen pointed out, representatives of the Iranian and Russian governments were not invited because they did not show serious interest in the dialogue. According to him, representatives of non-governmental organizations from Iran and Russia were invited to attend the event.
Heusgen praised Germany's support for Ukraine, which is the second largest provider of military aid to Kyiv. However, according to him, it is necessary to hold a public discussion on the importance of increasing defense spending and ways to finance it.