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Police officers at the Munich Security Conference 2023

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Sven Hoppe / picture alliance / dpa

The AfD will once again be excluded from the Munich Security Conference this year. The Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) is also not invited to one of the world's most important meetings of politicians and experts on security policy, which takes place from February 16th to 18th. The BSW MPs in the Bundestag were elected to the Bundestag as left-wing members, conference leader Christoph Heusgen explained the decision.

For a long time it was common practice for politicians from all parties represented in the Bundestag to be invited to the conference. Heusgen deviated from this practice last year when he made his debut as conference leader and did not invite any AfD politicians.

"I said back then that I didn't want to roll out the red carpet for a right-wing extremist party," he told the German Press Agency. “There was some nose-wrinkling. But I believe that my decision last year was the right one - especially after the recent revelations." Heusgen is alluding to the revelation of a secret meeting between right-wing extremists and AfD politicians about plans for "remigration."

According to Heusgen, the right-wing association Values ​​Union, whose chairman Hans-Georg Maaßen is planning to found a party, also has no place at the security conference.

Russia and Iran are also not on the guest list

Around 50 heads of state and government as well as around 100 ministers are expected to attend the conference at the Munich Hotel Bayerischer Hof this year. As was the case last year, the governments of Russia and Iran are not invited. Heusgen said he doesn't see any serious willingness to talk with Vladimir Putin. Instead of the Russian government, he invited exiled politicians and NGO representatives. He had already done this last year at the first conference after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

So far only NGO representatives from Iran have been invited, said Heusgen. Both the federal government and the USA have said that the Iranian government has no interest in talks.

dpa/taf