Off the wire
• More than 10,000 Chinese computers hacked in a year  • Israeli soldiers kill knife-wielding Palestinian woman in West Bank  • Speed skater Li claims first gold for China at Lillehammer 2016  • Leading results of speed skating at Lillehammer 2016 YOG  • Ghanaian President Mahama to visit Iran  • China renews yellow alert for cold front  • Taiwan quake death toll at 116 as search ends  • Albania, Croatia to establish direct sea and air links  • Russian PM warns of catastrophic consequence of lingering Syria conflict  • Hamas says open to any initiative to permanently open Rafah crossing  
You are here: 　 Home

German FM calls at MSC for unity within EU in turbulent times

Xinhua, February 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

"We have to work hard in order to ensure in one year's time, the next MSC will still have the same EU as we are now in today," said German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

Steinmeier described it as "turbulence times" when Europe is now experiencing a variety of crisis including extended Right-wing populism, the debate over Brexit, as well as the refugee crisis.

In order to overcome external threats and challenges in turbulent times, Steinmeier called for sending out a signal of more unity within EU in Munich and said "we can only weather these storms when we stand united in EU instead of drifting apart in light of challenges."

On Jan. 1, 2016, Germany assumed the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as whose Chairperson-in-Office Steinmeier said, Germany would make developing dialogue, rebuilding trust and restoring security in the region as priorities for OSCE this year.

As German representative of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), Steinmeier said on Friday: "We faced a stark choice, either we found a way of reaching a political solution or Syria would descend further into year-long war, violence and terror."

He added, despite of the difficult talk coming at a "critical moment in time," one basic consensus was made: there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. Endit