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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has attended the official opening ceremony of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Sarkissian's Office said.
Unprecedented number of international decision-makersare taking part at the 2019 Munich Security Conference.
German ChancellorAngela Merkelwill be present again, after last attending in 2017. Among the numerous other heads of state and heads of government that have announced their attendance are Afghan PresidentMohammad Ashraf Ghaniand Egyptian PresidentAbd al-Fattah as-Sisi. The same is true forYang Jiechi, Member of the 19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the Romanian PresidentKlaus Iohannis, the President of Ukraine,Petro Poroschenko, the President of Rwanda,Paul Kagame, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, SheikhHasina Wajed, and the Emir of Qatar, SheikhTamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The MSC 2019 is also anticipating the largest US delegation of all time. From the United States, Vice PresidentMike Penceand Acting Secretary of DefensePatrick Shanahanhave confirmed their participation. The US Congressional Delegation will be led by SenatorsLindsey O. Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Roger F. Wicker, James Inhofe, and Speaker of the House of RepresentativesNancy Pelosi.
Other confirmed participants includeFederica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General,Christine Lagarde, Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund, andKristalina Georgieva, Acting President of the World Bank.
Numerous foreign and defence ministers have confirmed their participation. From Germany, Foreign MinisterHeiko Maasand Defence MinisterUrsula von der Leyenwill be present alongside over 40 other foreign and defence ministers from the EU and NATO. Russia's, Iran's, Iraq's, and Qatar's foreign ministersSergey Lavrov, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mohamed Ali Al-Hakim, andMohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thaniwill attend. Their counterparts from Pakistan and the Philippines will also be present. Among the defence ministers expected in Munich are British Defence MinisterGavin Williamson, French Defence MinisterFlorence Parly, Canadian Defence MinisterHarjit Sajjan, and Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, as well asHulusi Akar, Defense Minister of Turkey, andTiémoko Sangaré, his Malian counterpart.
The German federal government will also be represented at the Conference by Minister for Economic Affairs and EnergyPeter Altmeier, Vice Chancellor and Finance MinisterOlaf Scholz, Health MinisterJens Spahnand Minister of Food and AgricultureJulia Klöckner. In addition, more than 45 members of the Bundestag from all parliamentary groups will be in attendance.
A multitude of international organisations will also be represented at MSC 2019.Thomas Greminger, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of Interpol, and Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, have announced their participation. Also participating areLassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization,Henrietta H. Fore, CEO of the United Nations Children's Fund, andDavid Beasley, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. The International Criminal Court will be represented by its PresidentChile Eboe-Osuji, and its Chief ProsecutorFatou Bom Bensouda.
All told, more than 35 heads of government and heads of state, as well as 50 foreign and 30 defence Ministers are expected to be present.