Mr. Shintaro Ito, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to Attend the 45th Munich Security Conference

February 4, 2009

Mr. Shintaro Ito, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, will visit Munich, Germany, from February 6 (Fri) to 8 (Sun) to attend the 45th Munich Security Conference to be held there.
At the Conference, issues such as the future of NATO and European security, arms control and non-proliferation, global issues, and the issues concerning Afghanistan and the Middle East will be discussed. H.E. Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany, Mr. Henry Alfred Kissinger, former Secretary of State of the United States, and H.E. Mr. Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, will also deliver speeches.
Prior to the Conference, Mr. Ito will also exchange views, during his stopover at Paris, with top officials of international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the International Energy Agency (IEA), on issues such as international cooperation in the educational, scientific and cultural areas, global economy, and energy security.

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