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Dozens of world leaders gather for Munich Conf.

BERLIN, Feb 14 (KUNA) -- The 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC-2020) kicked off at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich on Friday in the presence of more than 500 leaders in the fields of politics, business, academia and civil society from Europe and other parts of the world.
They include 30 heads of state and government and more than 100 ministers of foreign affairs and defence.
In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, the chair of the two-day event, set forth his vision for handing the challenges facing the West from within and from without.
He reviewed the overarching question of the Munich Security Report 2020 on the retreat of the role of the West and the Western values, saying that the report, the official primer for this year's conference, refers to this phenomenon as "Westlessness." "Faced with a new great-power competition and a multitude of crises that require a concerted Western response, what does it mean for the world if the West cannot agree on a common strategy leaves the stage to others? "The world is becoming less Western, and the West itself is becoming less Western too, he noted.
The failures of the international community to address the multiple crises and challenges highlight the need of the West finding unified responses to these challenges facing the world, Ambassador Ischinger argued.
He cited as an example of these failures the West's inability to strengthen the truce in Libya reached in Berlin conference and find solutions to other crises in the Middle East.
In an inaugural speech to the gathering, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked the government of his country to play a greater role in the international affairs saying that this is the only way to maintain the unity of the European Union.
Without unity, it will be unlikely for Europe to act with self-confidence on the global stage and address the multitude of challenges the world is facing, he stressed.
Steinmeier said he approves raising Germany's contribution to the NATO budget to two percent of the country's GDP pursuant to the Wales Summit Declaration of 2014.
Affirming the crucial importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the security of Europe, he urged the EU member states to enhance cooperation among themselves.
Led by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kuwait delegation to the event includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah and Chief National Security Bureau Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali Al-Sabah as well as other senior officials. (end) anj.fn.gb