Munich Security Conference organizes Core Group Meetings in Cairo and Doha

From Sudan to Syria to the Strait of Hormuz, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are experiencing more frequent and severe conflicts than any other part of the world, with grave consequences for the countries themselves and their neighborhood, including Europe. “Recently the situation in the MENA region has reached a new level of volatility,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). “The multitude of crises are not only threatening stability in the whole region – they also pose a major challenge for Europe. Our two Core Group Meetings are a platform for dialogue between the region’s key players about tangible steps towards de-escalation. But they also raise the question: What role should Europe and other international actors play? The case of Syria has shown that watching from the sidelines is not an option anymore.” The Core Group Meetings in Cairo and Doha will each bring together 60 to 80 senior political decision-makers, experts, and representatives of international organizations and civil society from the respective regions with counterparts from Germany, Europe and other parts of the world for frank, off-the-record discussions.

The MSC Core Group Meeting in Cairo will be co-hosted with the Government of Egypt from October 26 to 28. The event is supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the League of Arab States. In Egypt, which currently holds the Presidency of the African Union Commission, discussions will revolve around issues of regional security cooperation, especially pertaining to the situation in the Horn of Africa and instability in Libya, Sudan, and the Sahel region, as well as common challenges for Arab and African states.

Among the many high-ranking decision-makers from the region to join the Cairo meeting will be President of Egypt Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi as well as Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Niger's Foreign Minister Kalla Ankourao, Uganda's Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa, Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, and Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. Among the participants from further afield will be a delegation of German parliamentarians including German Deputy Foreign Minister Niels Annen.

The MSC will convene a subsequent Core Group Meeting in Doha, co-hosted with the Government of Qatar, on October 28 and 29. The Doha meeting will take place with the support of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the League of Arab States. Doha will host timely and crucial discussions on de-escalation in the conflicts over Syria and Yemen, as well as on broader regional concerns of proliferation, cyber and energy security.

The meeting in Doha will convene many senior decision-makers – among them the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as well as Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif, the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Idris Barzani, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman, and the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.

In order to maintain dialogue on the many serious security challenges in the Middle East and Africa and foster opportunities for de-escalating conflicts, the MSC has decided to host a series of high-level events. The Core Group Meetings in Cairo and Doha are the first in this series. Further upcoming events will be held in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Over the coming weeks, the MSC will provide more information about the Core Group Meetings in Cairo and Doha on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on its website.