Kommersant: For the first time in 20 years, Russia will hardly be represented at the Munich Security Conference

At the largest international security forum – the Munich Conference – in 2022 there will be no official delegation from Russia. Earlier this was reported by the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova. Kommersant found out that there are two reasons for this.

Zakharova, as Interfax wrote, clarified that in recent years the conference has allegedly been increasingly turning into a “transatlantic forum, losing its inclusiveness and objectivity.” Moscow’s interest in the event has dropped markedly, she added.

The other day, the press secretary of the head of the Russian state, Dmitry Peskov, also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not take part in the Munich Security Conference “in any format.”

Nevertheless, according to Kommersant, the list of participants in the event from Russia currently includes: Chairman of the Board of Sberbank German Gref, head of the All-Russian Union of Insurers Igor Yurgens and President of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Dynkin. In addition, the invitation was received by the Nobel laureate, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov. True, while his participation has not been confirmed.

The chairman of the conference, Wolfgang Ischinger himself, expected that against the backdrop of the current tense international situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin would take part in the event, but the invitation was rejected in the Kremlin.

According to Ischinger, about 35 heads of state and government are waiting in the capital of Bavaria this year – a total of 600 delegates from different countries and international structures.

Among the reasons why this year’s Russian participation in the Munich conference will be so limited, the interlocutors of the newspaper singled out two.

First of all, these are strict anti-COVID requirements from the organizers of the event. Recall that so far none of the Russian vaccines has been officially registered in the European Union. In the EU, those who do not have an EU-recognized certificate of vaccination or illness will have to enter a six-day quarantine upon arrival in Munich.

In addition, in Moscow, Kommersant’s interlocutors pointed out, irritation has accumulated in connection with the sharp political statements of the chairman of the Munich Conference and his future successor in this post, Christoph Heusgen. Ischinger, in particular, criticized Germany’s restraint in the confrontation with Russia. Heusgen speaks even more harshly towards the Russian Federation. According to him, the Russian leadership “lives in a world of its own nostalgia, where international law plays no role.”

It should be noted that the Munich Security Conference will be held on February 18-20. The United States is expected to be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The German delegation will be headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In addition, the participation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is expected.

We add that participants from Eastern Europe and Russia have been actively invited to Munich since 1999. Then Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Gusarov flew to Bavaria. Since 2011, the Russian delegation at the conference has traditionally been headed by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. In 2007, President Putin took part in the event. He delivered a speech on the unipolarity of modern world politics, the vision of the place and role of Russia in the modern world, taking into account the current realities and threats.