Conflict prevention efforts strengthen German security, says Wadephul

International engagement in conflict prevention and resolution are an investment in Germany's security, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday. 

Speaking at the Berlin Peace Dialogue, a conference on global conflict prevention organized by the Foreign Office in Berlin, Wadephul said "regional stabilization ensures that crises and wars in our neighbourhood do not escalate further and do not spill over to us."

The number of conflicts and crises worldwide is rising steadily, Wadephul said. "We find ourselves in a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams."

In an increasingly interconnected world, regional conflicts have global consequences, the minister argued. Terrorism, the effects of fragmented trade routes, climate change and disinformation campaigns on social media do not stop at national borders, he said.

When Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports prevent Kiev from exporting grain, people in Africa go hungry, Wadephul said. When terrorism creates regional instability in the Sahel, people try to reach safety in Europe. 

"That is why supporting regional stabilization initiatives is in our own fundamental interest," he argued. The root causes of displacement and migration can be addressed locally, and terrorism must be given no opportunity to infiltrate society, Wadephul said.