BERLIN, Jan 16 (Reuters) – The Munich Security Conference, one of the world’s top security forums, said on Friday it was withdrawing an invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi after the Tehran government’s crackdown on protests across Iran this week.
“Several weeks ago, invitations were extended to individual government representatives from Iran. In light of current events, the Munich Security Conference will not be maintaining these invitations,” it said in an emailed statement.
This year’s gathering of security experts and policymakers takes place on February 13-15. The organisers said they aimed to invite participants who could provide significant policy insights, but always considered political developments before finalising the list.
The Berlin foreign ministry said Germany was against inviting Iranian officials given the events in Iran, where thousands have been reported killed in a crackdown on demonstrations against clerical rule.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by James Mackenzie)
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