Over the past five decades, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has put Bavaria's capital city on the political map. It has become the major global forum for the discussion of security policy. Each February, it brings together more than 450 senior decision-makers from around the world, including heads-of-state, ministers, leading personalities of international and non-governmental organizations, as well as high ranking representatives of industry, media, academia, and civil society, to engage in an intensive debate on current and future security challenges. It is the world's largest gathering of its kind. The Munich Security Conference 2016 is set to take place from February 12 to 14 for the 52nd time.
The Munich Security Conference 2016 organisers have invited Russian President Vladimir Putin and hoping for his attendance. Putin took part in the Munich Security Conference for the first time in 2007.
"Putin's personal explanations on the reasons for Russia's policy in Syria, also in Ukraine, would be particularly interesting," Xinhua cited conference chief Wolfgang Ischinger as saying on Tuesday.
The conference, Ischinger said, has gained a reputation for maximum independence since its formation in the 1960s, and provides a forum for guests to discuss solutions to the current crises and conflicts on an informal occasion.
