Security Conference opens in Munich
The 60th International Security Conference, the world's most authoritative security forum, opens in Munich on 16 February.
Note that it is attended by 180 high-ranking representatives, including heads of state and government from 50 countries.
The main topics of the conference will be the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as in Somalia, Sudan and Haiti. Other important topics will be the rule of international law as a basis for co-existence, possible reform of the UN Security Council and climate change.
The most prominent guest at the current Munich conference will be Volodymyr Zelensky. From the point of view of Ukraine, on the agenda is the question of whether Western allies will be able to maintain their assistance to Ukraine in repelling the Russian aggression.
Another crucial topic of the conference will be the dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip and the desperate search for peaceful solution to the conflict in the Middle East. Israel is represented at the Munich forum by President Yitzhak Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Senior representatives of the Palestinian National Authority and neighbouring Arab states - Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt - are also taking part in the conference.
Another important topic of the conference will be the threats by Republican US Presidential contender Donald Trump to deny protection to those NATO countries that do not pay the prescribed two percent of GDP for defence.
Note that about a dozen Republican congressmen are attending the conference, and forum participants hope to hear clarification from them on the matter. US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are also attending the conference in Munich.
The President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia are also expected to attend the conference.
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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