President Nechirvan Barzani attends 62nd Munich security conference amid rising global tensions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) is set to be held with the participation of 50 heads of state and government from 150 countries, including Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region.

President Barzani is scheduled to take part in the three-day forum and hold meetings with numerous world leaders to discuss current global challenges and the Kurdistan Region’s role in international peace and stability.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, said President Barzani’s participation - his seventh at the annual gathering - comes at a critical time.

“It is only natural for him to be present at this time, especially since the greatest challenge currently facing the world in general is the issue of security,” Shahab told Rudaw on Thursday.

He warned that the Middle East is facing “a genuine threat of a major war breaking out in the region,” alongside persistent terrorism threats and Iraq’s “very delicate and sensitive situation,” including the transfer of thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees from Syria to Iraq.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to open the conference with a keynote address on security threats facing Europe and the wider world.

Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the conference, framed the moment as transformative.

“We are at the beginning of a new era, at the end of an era,” he said, adding that even the term Zeitenwende - a historical turning point - may be insufficient to capture current shifts.

He highlighted core questions for the forum, including the future of transatlantic relations and Europe’s ability to pursue its interests globally.

The European Union, still reeling from last year’s US address, is closely watching the upcoming speech by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as US national security advisor.

European officials have expressed concern that policies under President Donald Trump could place the global system under strain, heightening uncertainty at a time of mounting geopolitical pressure.

Rubio will participate in the conference, aiming to maintain pressure on Europe, though his approach is expected to be less confrontational than last year. In 2025, Vice President JD Vance had sharply criticized European policies on immigration, populism, and free speech, claiming that freedom of expression was “in retreat” across the continent.

Despite Rubio’s more diplomatic style, the United States still plans to press its European allies, who remain unsettled by last year’s controversies, including President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland.

“We live in a new era in geopolitics, and it’s going to require all of us to sort of re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be,” Rubio told reporters before departing Washington for Germany on Thursday.

[Source: Rûdaw English]