Move comes after party’s exclusion for last two years was lambasted by JD Vance at this year’s event
The Munich Security Conference (MSC) has invited lawmakers from Alternative für Deutschland to join its annual gathering of top international defence officials in February after shutting out the far-right party for the last two years.
The reversal, which was confirmed by organisers, came after the US vice-president, JD Vance, lambasted the AfD’s exclusion in a blistering speech at this year’s event in which he accused Germany of stifling free speech by sidelining the anti-migrant, pro-Kremlin party.
A spokesperson for MSC declined to explain the new policy, saying only that the event, which has been held in the Bavarian capital since 1963, was run by a “private, independent foundation” and “under no obligation to anyone to issue invitations to its events”.
“It was decided to invite members of parliament from all parties represented in the Bundestag”, in particular members of the foreign affairs and defence committees, the spokesperson said. “The same principle applied before 2024.”
