For two days, tranquil Münster is the focus of world politics: the foreign ministers of the G7 are coming. Baerbock, Blinken and Co. meet in a place with symbolic power.
Münster (dpa/lnw) - Münster made history in 1648: The negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia put an end to the devastating Thirty Years' War. More than 370 years later, people are still dying in battles in Europe - and again diplomats come to tranquil Westphalia to do world politics. They are proud to have the foreign ministers of the G7 as guests for two days. The police and the city also hope that everything will remain peaceful during the numerous demonstrations that have been announced in the "peace city" of Münster.
Annalena Baerbock, her US colleague Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of the five other G7 countries (Great Britain, France, Japan, Italy and Canada) will meet in the city on Thursday and Friday. The central issue is likely to be how to deal with the country that sat at the negotiating table until a few years ago, when there was still talk of the "Group of Eight": Russia. In addition to the attack on Ukraine, it could also be about China, Iran and Central Asia.
The venue is the historic town hall of the city of 317,000 inhabitants. Among other things, there will be talks in the Peace Hall, where the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated more than 370 years ago. It marked the end of the devastating Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War of Independence in the Netherlands. The peace agreement is considered a milestone on the way to a European peace order.
With the historic town hall, Münster has a location that, with the number and size of the usable halls and rooms, offers an "ideal setting" for the G7 meeting, according to the Foreign Office. However, the diplomats do not name the symbolic value as a reason. The location was selected on the basis of criteria such as availability, hotel capacity, sustainability, security criteria, connection and accessibility of the location, and cost-effectiveness. Germany holds the G7 presidency this year, so the summit of heads of government also took place in Bavaria's Schloss Elmau. The ministers are invited by their German counterparts - in this case by Baerbock.
Münster's Lord Mayor Markus Lewe (CDU) said that it was unthinkable for him to refer the Foreign Minister to other cities in view of the difficult global political situation because of any burdens. In a video message, he also stated that it had been clear by 1648 at the latest that successful conferences could be held.
The police have been preparing for this for weeks. At international conferences in the past there have regularly been major protests. The summits in 2001 in Genoa (G8) and 2017 in Hamburg (G20), which were overshadowed by conflict, will be remembered. In Münster, too, the police are expecting "several thousand" demonstrators in the vicinity of the meeting. Twelve demos were registered by Friday.
The vast majority of people would not demonstrate against the meeting, but use the attention of the world public for their concerns, according to the Münster police. However, there is no evidence of a specific threat. Previous operational experience has shown that the violent scene is more focused on the summit meetings of heads of state, said police chief Alexandra Dorndorf.
She emphasized that the security of the event and the freedom of the right to demonstrate must be brought to a common denominator. "It is also clear that we will take consistent action against disruptors," she announced. On Thursday and Friday, from the patrolman to the helicopter, “the entire police toolkit” should be available in the city. This included snipers on the roofs. The cordoned off area around the conference venue is comparatively small. In view of the demos and the arrival and departure, the police expect closures and traffic delays.
