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Munich Security Conference Reverses Ban, Invites AfD Specialists for 2026

Acting chair Wolfgang Ischinger, with the MSC foundation board, reinstated cross-party access after two years of exclusions under Christoph Heusgen.

Overview

  • Invitations were sent before Christmas to lawmakers from all Bundestag parties, prioritizing members of foreign and security policy committees.
  • The MSC confirmed the change for the 13–15 February 2026 gathering at Munich’s Hotel Bayerischer Hof, which expects senior government delegations.
  • AfD parliamentary leader Alice Weidel has not received an invitation to date, and the conference says the invitation process remains open.
  • The previous leadership barred AfD and later BSW after delegates walked out during a speech by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Bundestag.
  • The move draws mixed reactions, with CSU’s Alexander Hoffmann warning of security risks tied to AfD contacts with Russia and China, while US Vice President JD Vance had publicly criticized the earlier exclusion.