When speaking at the conference the Russian head of state touched on the threats facing today’s world and Russian policy designed to strengthen international security.
After the President’s speech there was a discussion during which Vladimir Putin answered various questions from conference participants.
German publisher Ewald von Kleist founded the international forum in Munich in 1962. Initially, the conference was a meeting during which representatives from NATO member countries’ defense departments held expert consultations on issues within the transatlantic partnership.
For 30 years the conference was a closed, internal NATO event. Over time the conference’s geographical scope broadened considerably to include Russia as well as countries from the CIS, the Baltic region, central and eastern Europe, the Asian-Pacific region, southern Asia and the Middle East.
Today the conference’s agenda includes topical issues in international politics such as the fight against international terrorism, UN and NATO reform, finding a peace settlement in troubled regions, and strengthening regional and global security.
The Munich Conference on Security Policy is an international forum composed of more than 250 leading politicians, diplomats, military officials, members of the business community, academics and public figures from more than 40 countries.