Top Turkish diplomat, spy chief attend security conference in Germany
A flag carrying the logo of the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) flies in front of a hotel, Munich, Germany, Feb. 15, 2024. (EPA Photo)


Türkiye’s top diplomat and spymaster landed in Munich late Thursday for an annual security conference.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Ibrahim Kalın, the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), are set to attend the 60th Munich Security Conference on Friday in Germany, where political leaders and decision-makers from 50 nations will discuss international conflicts, geopolitical challenges, global security issues and transatlantic relations during their annual meeting from Feb. 16 to 18.

On the sidelines of the conference, Fidan and Kalın are both expected to hold bilateral talks with their respective counterparts on regional and global issues, the war on terror, the latest situation in Gaza, developments regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the fight against cyber and organized crime.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan held his first meeting with Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popşoi and discussed economic ties, energy, education, defense cooperation, as well as upcoming high-level visits and Türkiye’s contributions to the Gagauz-Yeri, an autonomous territorial unit of Moldova intended for the local Turkic-speaking Gagauz people.

The conference will begin with the opening speech of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, where he is expected to renew demand for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to allow more aid into the Gaza Strip.

Top diplomats from Western and Arab countries are scheduled to hold a ministerial meeting on the margins of the conference to discuss diplomatic efforts for a humanitarian pause and the release of captives held by Hamas.