OREANDA-NEWS Around 500 leaders debated current international crises and future challenges to international security at the Munich Security Conference 2017. Among the participants were UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, US Vice President Mike Pence, US Defense Secretary James Mattis, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg together with more than 30 heads of state and government, over 80 foreign and defence ministers.

The conference agenda focused on the future of transatlantic relations and NATO, the state of European cooperation in security and defence matters, relations with Russia as well as the war in Syria, the security situation in the Asia-Pacific, and information warfare.

The Minister of Defence spoke at the "Arctic Security Roundtable", where he focused on describing the military build up in the Kola peninsula and its security implications for the Arctic neighbourhood.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs spoke at the roundtable on climate security.