MSC 2024: Leaders discuss future of European Union

On the final day of the Munich Security Conference, participants are discussing the enlargement of the European Union and the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Several European officials and the president of Georgia took part in an MSC panel titled:

Leaders discuss European Union geopolitical goals MSC participants focus on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations Putin critic tells DW that Navalny’s death will ‘repress the Russian people’ Georgia’s president tells DW her country is unwavering in support of EU accession

Georgia’s president tells DW: Black Sea region essential for European security

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili spoke to DW about her country’s EU ambitions and its solidarity with Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

Zourabichvili praised EU leaders for reaching a deal on a €50 billion Ukraine aid package and said she was “confident” that the US Congress will also pass additional aid for Kyiv.

The Georgian leader spoke about her country’s position on the Black Sea, calling the body of water “our vital connection to Europe.”

“The security of the Black Sea is the security of Europe. And that’s what is at stake with Crimea, with Ukraine, with Georgia, with now the plans of Russia to build a military base on the Black Sea,” she said.

Zourabichvili was also asked about the internal political battles in Georgia regarding accession to the EU.

“Well, like any country, there are internal political battles. But what is very important to know outside of Georgia is this has the full consensus of the Georgian people and this has been the case for the last 30 years since our independence,” Zourabichvili said, while adding that this has not changed despite Russia’s invasion and occuption of Georgian territories in 2008.

In regards to the future, Zourabichvili said that the “best outcome is Russia having to retreat on its own territory, learn that it has borders like any other nation in the world and respect its neighbors. That means that it releases the occupied territories and we are becoming a member of the European Union. That the best and the only outcome I can think about.”

Navalny’s killing will ‘repress the Russian people,’ Putin critic tells DW

Bill Browder, the American-born British co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management and an adamant critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoke to DW at the MSC regarding the death of Alexei Navalny.

The death of the Russian opposition leader has been confirmed by Navalny’s allies, but they say the Russian government is refusing to hand over his body.

Browder asserted that “Putin killed Alexei Navalny” and the “purpose of this murder is to send a message to anybody in Russia who’s even thinking about Vladimir Putin that if you challenge Vladimir Putin, you will be killed.”

“And that message I believe is an extremely strong message because Alexei Navalny was such a larger than life bigger figure and to take the biggest person and take him down I think is absolutely going to suppress and repress the Russian people, sadly,” he continued.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy had said it was no coincidence that Navalny’s death was announced shortly before the MSC kicked off on Friday. Browder said that the news of Navalny’s death before the event was Putin’s way “to effectively troll the entire world.”

“Even though he’s not in person, along with his entourage, by killing Alexei Navalny, Putin is in the head of every single person at this conference all through the weekend,” Browder said.

When asked about those at the MSC who believe there is a way to negotiate with Putin to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Browder rejected the idea.

“Putin has made it clear that there’s no negotiation, and that he has no capacity to compromise, to seek peace. Putin is a warmonger,” Browder said.

Browder also said he worried about the fate of his close friend, Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has been handed a 25-year prison sentence.

“Alexei Navalny has now been killed and Vladimir Kara-Murza is probably next on the block,” Browder said. “We’re terrified for his safety and for his well-being and one of the main topics of the conference for me here is to work with Western leaders to try to figure out a way to free Vladimir Kura-Murza so he doesn’t end up dead like Alexei Navalny did.”

Browder, as a Putin critic, also expressed concerns for his own safety: “It’s a very dangerous place for people like me and anybody who opposes Putin in Russia or anywhere in the world, unfortunately.”

Munich Security Conference looks to the future of Europe

Enlargement and the geopolitical goals of the European Union, as well as the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations, will be debated on the final day of the Munich Security Conference.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will participate in a discussion on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

The benefits of EU enlargement will be discussed by Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina will participate in a panel discussion on the European Union’s next geopolitical agenda.

The conference will conclude with a discussion on the next 60 years in geopolitics, featuring Finland’s President-elect Alexander Stubb.

What happened at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Europe must strengthen its ability to defend itself to deter would-be aggressors regardless of who wins the upcoming US elections or how the war in Ukraine turns out.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on his country’s supporters to step up efforts against Russian aggression and President Vladimir Putin.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, called for the United States to deliver “what they have promised” to Ukraine.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country will remain a “force for stability” amid conflicts around the world.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan met on Saturday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and sought to continue working towards peace in the Caucasus region.

dh/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)