The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Clear announcement at the start of Siko 2020 in Munich: Sharp criticism of the USA

2020-02-14T15:29:41.308Z


At the start of the security conference in Munich, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sent cautionary words to the assembled political celebrities. A new study gives cause for concern.


At the start of the security conference in Munich, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sent cautionary words to the assembled political celebrities. A new study gives cause for concern.

  • Important politicians from all over the world meet in Munich to discuss the global security situation .
  • Meanwhile, it is known that arms spending in 2019 has skyrocketed .
  • In the opening speech at Siko 2020 , Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier chose clear words.

Munich - At his opening speech at the 56th security conference in Munich , Frank-Walter Steinmeier sent harsh words towards the USA . The Federal President criticized the United States' turn away from the international community on Friday and warned of an "increasingly destructive dynamic of world politics".

At the same time, the 64-year-old called to take up the nuclear weapons dialogue offer of the German neighbor France. While heads of state and government are debating security issues in the Bavarian capital, a new study documented the sharp rise in global defense spending last year.

Siko 2020: "Remove us from a more peaceful world year after year"

Steinmeier opened the security conference on Friday with urgent warnings. "Every year we move further away from the goal of international cooperation to create a more peaceful world," said the German head of state. The US government is "refusing even the idea of ​​an international community". Such a policy in Washington is "also at the expense of neighbors and partners".

Steinmeier also sharply criticized the governments in Moscow and Beijing at the start of the Munich Security Conference 2020 (click here for the ticker). Russia has "made military violence and the violent movement of borders on the European continent a political tool again". China observes international law "only selectively where it does not run counter to its own interests".

Munich: Steinmeier criticizes major powers at #Security Conference # MSC2020 https://t.co/Uz6GYtDZMw

- Tagesschau (@tagesschau) February 14, 2020

In view of the international crises, Steinmeier warned of a new arms race, including a "new nuclear arms race". He also drew a crisis scenario with a view to the EU. In the international community, "economic divergence instead of convergence" and "political, increasingly ideological trenches" can be observed.

Against this background, Steinmeier called on Germany to strengthen its European and international engagement. The development of an "EU capable of defense policy action" is just as indispensable as the expansion of the European pillar of NATO. Germany must "contribute more to the security of Europe, also financially," said Steinmeier.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also open to the proposal by the French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, for a dialogue on the French nuclear force. "We should take up his invitation to dialogue," said the Federal President.

Appeal at the security conference: "NATO as a strong, European pillar"

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also called for a stronger German and European engagement in view of the United States' withdrawal from international conflicts. Europeans had "closed their eyes too long before the US withdrawal," he said, according to the speech manuscript. Russia, Turkey and Iran have now entered the gap left by the United States.

In response to this development, Maas called for the "establishment of a European security and defense union - as a strong, European pillar of NATO". This is the "European policy design task of the 20s". The federal government is "ready to get more involved, including militarily". Germany would also take up Macron's offer for a strategy dialogue on French nuclear weapons. In addition, NATO must also rethink its role.

+

Eurofighter in action: After the withdrawal of the USA, NATO should play a bigger role in the future.

© dpa / Hörl

Meanwhile, a study showed that international armament is already gaining momentum. Global military spending rose four percent last year, according to a report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) presented at the Munich Security Conference.

This is the highest increase in ten years. The two countries with the world's highest military budgets, the United States and China, invested 6.6 percent more money in their armed forces than in 2018.

40 heads of state and government take part in the 56th Munich Security Conference and debate ways of pacifying major military conflicts and trouble spots. The three-day security conference is considered the most important forum for international security policy.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is also expected at the Munich security conference. He shows himself ready to compromise on a controversial topic.

PF / AFP

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-02-14

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-19T04:12:50.494Z
News/Politics 2024-02-13T04:18:49.208Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.