As of: February 20, 2024, 4:06 a.m
By: Christian Deutschländer
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Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (m.) knew how to present himself at the Munich Security Conference.
To the annoyance of the traffic light coalition.
© Felix Hörhager/dpa
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) presents himself as the host at the security conference. Also to the annoyance of the federal government.
Munich – He welcomes the guests to the “living room of kings”, where the kings no longer held court, but – pause for art – “their successors”.
No, Markus Söder does not practice modesty, neither real nor false.
On red velvet chairs under golden blankets, in the light of candles and chandeliers, he is the host of the big Siko dinner.
Those present in the magnificent Imperial Hall of the Residence have a lovely and rich evening with salmon trout tartare, duck breast and “Altmünchner Kaiserschmarrn”.
Those who are absent begin to hold grudges.
Because it's too much Söder and Bayern-Mia-san-mia for them, here and elsewhere.
Söder acts as host at the Munich Security Conference
It crunches this time, but more on that later.
The festive evening in the residence will be very harmonious.
The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and a number of colleagues from all over the world, including Qatar and Bangladesh, are at the table of honor.
None of the speakers forget to praise the Siko as a dialogue format, more important than ever.
“We are not cold warriors, but the people who want to end a hot war,” says Söder.
Not brothers in arms, but brothers and sisters of values.
Despite all the wars, the evening brings the topic of climate protection to the fore, at least temporarily.
The Ewald von Kleist Prize (awarded by the Siko since 2019) goes to the US climate representative John Kerry and Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, who warns about global warming and accuses the West of hypocrisy in increasingly clear terms.
Both are gifted speakers, at least Kerry showed that in the evening.
He speaks passionately about wars and crises.
He talks about his mother, who treated World War wounded in Europe and watched them die.
“Today we hear the echoes of the 1930s,” he says, and it is very quiet in the hall.
He outlines, covering climate and wars, “how close the world is to total chaos again”.
Bavaria productions at Siko: traffic light government with anger at Söder
With a grin, Kerry thanks Söder for inviting him to his “humble home”.
Although, and thus to the absentees, these rich Bavaria productions stink for some in federal politics.
Not a single traffic light minister comes to the residence, but half of Söder's Bavarian cabinet does.
This is no coincidence: there is anger in the federal government, the Bavarians presented themselves too much as hosts and pursued secondary foreign policy.
This goes right down to petit meals.
The “Table.Media” portal reports trouble at the traffic lights as to why Söder was allowed to sit in row 1 during Zelensky’s speech.
He himself happily tells how, against the explicit will of the Secret Service, he suddenly managed to put a huge Bavarian gingerbread heart into the hand of US Vice President Kamala Harris at Munich airport - which made for radiant photos on Thursday.
Baerbock's Söder boycott - Foreign Minister cancels Siko events
And there is a boycott: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is not only skipping the dinner, she is also reportedly canceling the traditional networking breakfast for women on Saturday at short notice.
Internally it is said that she claimed to speak there alongside keynote speaker Hillary Clinton.
But because the state government is the main host (and pays), this stage next to Clinton was reserved for Söder's minister Judith Gerlach.
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Baerbock's boycott is causing a lot of whispers.
A Bavarian government spokesman noted that Clinton was the keynote speaker on Saturday, “much to the delight” of everyone involved.
The German Foreign Minister is “welcome as a guest at any time” but can “only decide whether to come” herself.
(Christian Germans)