Moscow Conference On International Security

The eighth Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) will be held in the Russian capital from Tuesday to Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2019) The eighth Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) will be held in the Russian capital from Tuesday to Thursday.

The MCIS is an annual forum bringing together representatives of defense departments, international organizations and non-government experts looking for answers to key issues of the international security.

Discussions at the conference promote better understanding of various countries' positions and help identify potential areas for effective international military cooperation.

The event is organized by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The first Moscow international security conference was held from May 3-4, 2012 and was titled "The missile defense factor in the formation of a new security space."

During the conference, the participants discussed all the aspects of the missile defense problem, from assessing the threats of missile technology's proliferation to identifying areas for anti-missile defense cooperation, seeking to maintain stability and equal strategic partnership.

About 200 leading politicians, military professionals and experts from 50 countries in Europe and Asia, including Russia, the United States and Canada, were invited to attend the forum.

From May 23 to May 24, 2013, the Russian Defense Ministry held an international conference on military and political aspects of European security. The participants exchanged views on the challenging issues of the European security, including the most acute problems of missile defense, conventional arms control in Europe and Russia-NATO cooperation, and evaluated the role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in ensuring European security.

Heads of defense departments of European countries, international organizations such as NATO, the European Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and OSCE, as well as representatives of the Russian and European academic and expert community visited the conference.

In 2014, the conference was branded with its current name. It took place from May 23-24 and was devoted to the issues of strengthening global security and possible ways of resolving existing regional crises, especially in the middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan. The participants paid special attention analyzing the 'color revolutions' phenomenon.

Since 2014, representatives of a number of European countries have refused to participate in the event. The United States boycotted the MCIS as well.

The fourth conference was organized from April 16-17, 2015. Its key subjects included the current situation and new challenges to global security, the threats posed by international terrorism and the potential for military and political instruments and international military cooperation able to ensure regional and global stability.

The conference was attended by more than 400 people from 70 countries; 13 delegations were led by heads of their defense departments.

The fifth Moscow Conference on International Security was held between April 27 and April 28, 2016. Its main focus was the fight against terrorism. The forum also addressed security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, the problems of war and peace in Europe, global security and military cooperation.

Special attention was paid to the problems of Middle East, the existing and new challenges and threats to international security, the role of armed forces in dealing with the 'color revolutions' and ensuring security in Central Asia.

More than 700 participants from 83 countries attended the event.

The sixth Moscow Conference on International Security took place from April 26 to April 27, 2017, with the focus on the most pressing problems of global and regional security. The plenary sessions were devoted to combating international terrorism, security problems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and the role of military departments in strengthening security in various regions.

During discussion sessions, the participants considered combating terrorism and radicalism in the Middle East, security in the information space, missile defense issues and security in Central Asia.

The conference was attended by more than 700 guests, representatives of 78 foreign countries, including more than 20 heads of defense departments, secretaries general of the OSCE and of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the executive secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, deputy secretaries-general of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, as well as the vice-president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The seventh Moscow Conference on International Security began in Moscow on April 4, 2018. The main focus of the two-day conference was the defeat of terrorists in Syria. The forum participants discussed the most acute and relevant issues, including: global security in a polycentric world, prospects of peace establishment in the Middle East in the light of the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) in Syria, security issues in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Over 850 guests from 95 countries, including 30 heads of defense departments, 15 general staff chiefs and deputy defense ministers, representatives of eight international organizations, and 68 leading foreign security experts attended the conference.

In 2019, the two-day event will kick off on April 23. The conference agenda includes pressing issues of strengthening global and regional stability, including the outcomes of the defeat of terrorists in Syria, political settlement in the country, post-conflict reconstruction and the return of refugees.

It is expected that military delegations and leading experts from more than 100 countries will attend the forum.