Multipolar World, Ukraine & Taiwan Dominate Agenda at Moscow Int'l Security Conference

More than 700 delegates attended the 10th annual Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) – a forum dedicated to global and regional stability.

This year’s MCIS has been organized by Russia’s Defense Ministry. Members of 53 official high-level delegations – most of them military top brass and security experts – had a chance to hold discussions on pressing geopolitical topics from all over the world.

Pakistan is one of 70 nations that sent delegations to this year’s MCIS. The country’s Defense Secretary Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain shared his impressions of the event with Sputnik:

“I was here last year also and Pakistan has been regularly participating since 2014,” the defense secretary said. “And we are absolutely thrilled with the types of topics which are discussed here, the type of audience that we get where we can get our message across.”

The conference’s first session was opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who focused among other topics in his video address on the situation in Ukraine and Taiwan:

“The situation in Ukraine shows that the United States is attempting to draw out this conflict,” Vladimir Putin said. “It acts in the same way elsewhere, fomenting the conflict potential in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As is common knowledge, the US has recently made another deliberate attempt to fuel the flames and stir up trouble in the Asia-Pacific. The US escapade towards Taiwan is not just a voyage by an irresponsible politician, but part of the purpose-oriented and deliberate US strategy designed to destabilize the situation and sow chaos in the region and the world.”

At the 10th annual Moscow Conference on International Security

© Sputnik / Denis Bolotsky

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who greeted the MCIS delegates personally, slammed the "rules-based" world order that the West is trying to enforce in many regions. Part of Shoigu’s speech at the conference was also dedicated to the situation in the Asia-Pacific:

“The West’s counteraction to the strengthening of the multipolar world can be felt not only in Europe, but also in the Asia-Pacific, where the United States has started demolishing the regional cooperation system built within the framework of ASEAN,” the minister said. “It began with the announcement by the UK, Australia and the US of the creation of AUKUS, as well as plans to extend it and to invite new partners. There is a merger between AUKUS and NATO, and NATO, in turn, announced during its June summit that it wants to dominate in the Asia-Pacific region.”

At the 10th annual Moscow Conference on International Security

© Sputnik / Denis Bolotsky

Shoigu’s concerns about Washington’s actions in the Asia-Pacific were echoed by some MCIS foreign delegates. Connie Rahakundini Bakrie is a military and defense analyst from Indonesia. She told Sputnik that Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan may trigger serious changes, which could affect powerful regional alliances, also putting ASEAN in danger.

“I believe if Taiwan is being pushed, ASEAN will be breaking apart, because some ASEAN countries are part of FPDA (Five Power Defense Arrangements, a series of defense relationships between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK - Ed. Sputnik),” Bakrie said. “So I agree with President Putin when he says don’t touch the Taiwan issue because it’s part of the One China Policy, and we cannot do anything about it.”

Besides the Asia-Pacific, MCIS delegates also discussed regional aspects of global security in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America during three other plenary sessions.

At the 10th annual Moscow Conference on International Security

© Sputnik / Denis Bolotsky

The MCIS has been held annually since 2012, but most of the time the event hasn’t been synchronized with the ARMY military and technical forum.

At the 10th annual Moscow Conference on International Security

© Sputnik / Denis Bolotsky

Holding the two events simultaneously has made it possible for Russia's Defense Ministry, as well as for the country’s weapons manufacturers, to not only organize high-level discussions on international security issues, but also to showcase what Russia has to offer in terms of arms and military equipment, with static and live demonstrations of jets, tanks, and UAVs being set up right next to the MCIS venue.