February 2019 Warsaw Conference

Last updated

February 2019 Warsaw conference
Host countryFlag of Poland.svg  Poland
Date13–14 February 2019
Cities Warsaw, Poland
Participants
(Hadi Government)
In blue: Countries that participated in the conference. In red: Countries that were invited to the conference but did not participate. February 2019 Warsaw Conference map.svg
In blue: Countries that participated in the conference.
In red: Countries that were invited to the conference but did not participate.

February 2019 Warsaw Conference, commonly known as the US-led Middle East conference in Warsaw, [1] took place on 13 and 14 February 2019 in Warsaw, capital of Poland. [2] [3] [4] [5] The conference was hosted by Poland and the United States. [6] [4] [5] According to the joint official announcement of the meeting, the issues of the event were: “terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the region”. [7] In early February, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that the purpose of the conference is to focus on "Iran’s influence and terrorism in the region". [4] [7] [8] However, after the European objections to the purpose, the United States was forced to backtrack on planning to build a global coalition against Iran. [7] [8]

Contents

The Warsaw Conference became the semi-official ground for the Arab-Israeli pact against Iran, [9] in light of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict. The coalition emerged in 2017, upon warming ties between Israel and the Gulf States, and received broad media attention in light of the February 2019 Warsaw Conference.

Press Conference

Secretary Pompeo Participates in a Joint Press Conference With Polish Foreign Minister Czaputowicz Secretary Pompeo Participates in a Joint Press Conference With Polish Foreign Minister Czaputowicz.jpg
Secretary Pompeo Participates in a Joint Press Conference With Polish Foreign Minister Czaputowicz

On 12 February, US Secretary of State and Polish Foreign Minister had a press conference, one day before the summit on the “peace and security for the Middle East” officially begins. Pompeo said that more than 60 states are participating in the Warsaw summit. [10]

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview while in Warsaw: "We want the Iranian people to have the opportunity to live in a prosperous, peaceful society, and one that is controlled by their desires, their wishes.” [11]

Reactions

The first day of the meetings, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on Twitter that the meeting with Arab leaders was to reach a “common interest of war with Iran", repeated in a press release. [12] [13] Later the tweet was deleted, and the press release amended to "common interest of combatting Iran". [14] [15] [16]

Iran has protested over the conference, calling it a hostile move.[ citation needed ] The foreign policy chief of the European Union, Federica Mogherini said that she will not attend the Warsaw meeting, "which has received a cool reception from European countries." [4] Russia's Foreign Ministry also released a statement on 22 January and cited that Russian officials will not attend the conference, which it described as an "anti-Iran platform." [4] Major European powers such as Germany and France, refused to send their top diplomats over fears that the summit was designed mainly to build an alliance against Iran. [1]

British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, agreed to attend the summit but only on the condition that the United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia hold a meeting on the margins about Yemen. [17]

Speaking in Warsaw, the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called the regime in Iran the “greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle East”. [18] Mike Pence, criticized some European countries trying to weaken US sanctions against Iran and said Iran is after “another holocaust”. [19]

Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani said in a press conference in Warsaw that Tehran should be isolated [20]

Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States said the reason for his taking part in the Warsaw summit was, “to take a firm stand against forces that threaten the future of peace and security," in particular Iranian. [21]

On 13 and 14 February, a group of supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran that favor "regime change" in the Islamic Republic of Iran, held a rally in Warsaw to coincide with the conference. Rudy Giuliani, at the time serving as personal lawyer to then-President Donald Trump, attended the rally and demanded stronger policies against the Iranian government and its human rights violations. [22] [23] [24]

Speaking at the rally held by several hundred Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) supporters in Warsaw, former New York Mayor Mr. Giuliani said any peace plan in the region needs a “major change in the theocratic dictatorship in Iran”. [25]

Speakers at a MEK rally in Warsaw also included Sid Ahmad Ghozali, a former prime minister of Algeria, Robert Torricelli, a former US Democratic senator, along with several members of the Polish parliament. [26]

The Palestinian militant-resistance group and the ruling party in Gaza Hamas has denounced the conference in which the "Israeli leaders who keep perpetrating heinous crimes against the Palestinian people, desecrating holy sites, and denying the Palestinians of their basic rights." [27]

Turkey also refused an invitation by the United States to attend a summit in Warsaw on countering Iranian influence in the Middle East, on the grounds that it "targets one country", in particular Iran. [28] However, Turkey didn't denounce the participation of Azerbaijan, a fellow Turkic country and ally of Turkey nor Azerbaijan's anti-Iranian stance.

On March 1, 2021, during a speech, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo credited the 2019 Warsaw Conference with providing the breakthrough that paved the way for the Abraham Accords. [29] During the actual conference, Secretary of State Pence stated, "Tonight I believe we are beginning a new era, with Prime Minister Netanyahu from the State of Israel, with leaders from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, all breaking bread together, and later in this conference sharing honest perspectives on the challenges facing the area." [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Netanyahu</span> Prime Minister of Israel (1996–1999, 2009–2021, 2022–present)

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is an Israeli politician, serving as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office in 1996–1999 and 2009–2021. He is chair of the Likud party. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, having served a total of over 16 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dore Gold</span> American-Israeli political scientist and diplomat (born 1953)

Dore Gold is an American-Israeli political scientist and diplomat who served as Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations from 1997 to 1999. He is currently the President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He was also an advisor to the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his first term in office. In May 2015, Netanyahu named him Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until October 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayoob Kara</span> Israeli politician

Ayoob Kara is an Israeli Druze politician. He has served as a member of the Knesset for Likud in four spells between 1999 and 2021, and as Minister of Communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab Peace Initiative</span> Proposal from the 2002 Beirut Arab League Summit

The Arab Peace Initiative, also known as the Saudi Initiative, is a 10 sentence proposal for an end to the Arab–Israeli conflict that was endorsed by the Arab League in 2002 at the Beirut Summit and re-endorsed at the 2007 and at the 2017 Arab League summits. The initiative offers normalisation of relations by the Arab world with Israel, in return for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories, with the possibility of comparable and mutual agreed minor swaps of the land between Israel and Palestine, a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. A Palestinian attack called the Passover massacre took place on 27 March 2002, the day before the Initiative was published, which initially overshadowed it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

The State of Israel is represented in the Russian Federation through an embassy in Moscow and a consulate-general in Yekaterinburg. Russia is represented in Israel through an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate in Haifa. Russia is a member of the Quartet on the Middle East. For many years, Israel was a haven for Russian Jews. This was especially the case during the aliyah from the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1990s. Israel and the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor state, were on opposing sides during the Cold War. However, the relationship between Israel and Russia has improved significantly since the early 2000s, with the election of the more pro-Israel Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and the election of the more pro-Russia Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. Putin has had a close relationship with long-serving Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Hook</span> American lawyer and government official (born 1968)

Brian H. Hook is an American diplomat, lawyer and government official. In 2021, he joined Cerberus Capital Management as vice chairman for global investments. He is an adjunct professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Pompeo</span> American politician (born 1963)

Michael Richard Pompeo is an American politician who served in the administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United States secretary of state from 2018 to 2021. He also served in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahrain–Israel relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations have existed between Bahrain and Israel since Bahrain achieved its independence in 1971. In recent years, relations between the two countries have been thawing, and the countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations in September 2020. The foreign minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has been quoted saying "Israel is part of the heritage of this whole region, historically. So, the Jewish people have a place amongst us." The common threat of Iran has provided common ground for a thaw in what were once tense relations. Bahrain's foreign policy traditionally supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Keyes</span> Israeli spokesman

David Keyes is an Israeli-American public relations representative and human rights activist. Keyes was the executive director of Advancing Human Rights, the co-founder of CyberDissidents.org, and the head of Movements.org, a platform for crowdsourcing human rights. The New York Times called Keyes "a pioneer in online activism."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Saudi Arabia relations</span> Bilateral relations

The State of Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have never had formal diplomatic relations. In 1947, Saudi Arabia voted against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, and currently does not recognize Israeli sovereignty. However, as of 2023, bilateral negotiations towards Israeli–Saudi normalization are ongoing, with the United States serving as the two sides' mediator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict</span> Indirect conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaged in an ongoing struggle for influence in the Middle East and other regions of the Muslim world. The two countries have provided varying degrees of support to opposing sides in nearby conflicts, including the civil wars in Syria and Yemen; and disputes in Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, and Iraq. The struggle also extends to disputes or broader competition in other countries globally including in West, North and East Africa, South, Central, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and the Caucasus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel</span> 2017 U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital city

On December 6, 2017, the United States of America officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of the State of Israel. American president Donald Trump, who signed the presidential proclamation, also ordered the relocation of the American diplomatic mission to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, constituting what is now the Embassy of the United States in Jerusalem, which was established on the grounds of the former Consulate General of the United States in Jerusalem. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the decision and praised the announcement by the Trump administration. On December 8, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson clarified that Trump's statement "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem" and "was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide" in reference to the recognition's impact on the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.

The Arab–Israeli alliance, sometimes called the Israeli–Sunni alliance, refers to an unofficial security coalition comprising Israel and various Arab countries. Originally formed in the interest of the Gulf Cooperation Council, it is primarily focused on deterring the political and military ambitions of Iran, and has been actively promoted by the United States since the February 2019 Warsaw conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel</span> 2019 U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Syrias Golan Heights

On March 25, 2019, the United States officially recognized the Golan Heights as being under the sovereignty of Israel. Signed into effect by the Trump administration, the U.S. presidential proclamation marked the first instance of any country recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; the territory is viewed as part of Syria under international law, though it has been under an Israeli military occupation since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War. In 1981, Israel's government passed the Golan Heights Law — a de facto annexation of the territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avi Berkowitz</span> American attorney and political adviser (born 1988)

Avrahm Berkowitz is an American attorney and political adviser who served as the Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations from 2019 to 2021. He was an advisor to Jared Kushner in the Trump administration, and worked on the Trump peace plan and the Abraham Accords.

Lev Parnas is a Soviet-born American businessman and former associate of Rudy Giuliani. Parnas, Giuliani, Igor Fruman, John Solomon, Yuriy Lutsenko, Dmytro Firtash and his allies, Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova, were involved in creating the false Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, which is part of the Trump–Ukraine scandal's efforts to damage Joe Biden. As president, Donald Trump said he did not know Parnas or what he was involved in; Parnas insisted Trump "knew exactly what was going on".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement</span> 2020 agreement between Israel and the UAE

The Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, officially the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel, was initially agreed to in a joint statement by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates on August 13, 2020, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords. The UAE thus became the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel, as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so. Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for annexing parts of the West Bank. The agreement normalized what had long been informal but robust foreign relations between the two countries. The agreement was signed at the White House on September 15, 2020. It was approved unanimously by the Israeli cabinet on October 12 and was ratified by the Knesset on October 15. The UAE parliament and cabinet ratified the agreement on October 19. The agreement went into effect on January 5, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Accords</span> 2020 series of Arab–Israeli normalization agreements

The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the announcement of August 13, 2020, concerned Israel and the UAE before the subsequent announcement of an agreement between Israel and Bahrain on September 11, 2020. On September 15, 2020, the signing of the agreements was hosted by US president Trump on the Truman Balcony of the White House amid elaborate staging intended to evoke the signings of historic formal peace treaties in prior administrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement</span> 2020 agreement between Israel and Bahrain

The Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement, officially Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations, is an agreement to normalize diplomatic and other relations between Bahrain and Israel. The agreement was announced by President Donald Trump on September 11, 2020, and followed on from a joint statement, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords, by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020. It was formally signed on September 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington, D.C., and made Bahrain the fourth Arab state to recognize Israel and the second within a month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab–Israeli normalization</span> Peace efforts between Arab states and Israel

Since the 1970s, there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed to in the Arab–Israeli conflict and also specifically the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Over the years, numerous Arab League countries have signed peace and normalization treaties with Israel, beginning with the Egypt–Israel peace treaty (1979). Despite the failure to implement the Israeli–Lebanese peace accords (1983), more treaties continued with the Israeli–Palestinian peace process (1991–present), the Israel–Jordan peace treaty (1994), the Abraham Accords normalizing relations between Israel–United Arab Emirates and Israel–Bahrain (2020), the Israel–Sudan normalization agreement (2020) and the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement (2020). Moreover, numerous Arab League members established semi-official relations with Israel.

References

  1. 1 2 Pietromarchi, Virginia. "US-led Middle East conference in Warsaw: All you need to know". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera . Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  2. ↑ Guy, Jack; Yang, Maya (13 January 2019). "Iran summons Polish diplomat over planned 'anti-Iranian' Warsaw conference". CNN . Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Rozen, Laura (23 January 2019). "US allies try to dilute anti-Iran agenda for Warsaw summit". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "U.S. Says Mideast Conference In Warsaw Not Aimed At Demonizing Iran". Middle East News. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  5. 1 2 "US to host Iran-focused summit in Poland next month". Al Jazeera . 11 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "US to host Middle East focused conference in Poland next month". www.thefirstnews.com. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Wintour, Patrick (23 January 2019). "US backtracks on Iran-focused conference in Poland after objections". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  8. 1 2 "US backtracks on Iran-focused conference in Poland after EU objections". Irna. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Tibon, Amir (13 February 2019). "Warsaw Summit Will Test U.S. Gamble on Israeli-Arab Pact Against Iran". Haaretz.
  10. ↑ "Pompeo: Over 60 Countries Are Attending Warsaw Summit". Iran International. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "The Latest: Pence accuses Russia of trying to divide NATO". The Washington Times.
  12. ↑ "Benjamin Netanyahu hastily deletes tweet calling for 'war with Iran'". Washington Examiner. 13 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "Netanyahu seems to say Israel, Arabs share goal of war with Iran". NBC News .
  14. ↑ Axelrod, Tal (13 February 2019). "Israeli prime minister's office deletes tweet mentioning 'war with Iran'". The Hill .
  15. ↑ "Israeli Leader Sees 'Common Interest' in Confronting Iran". The New York Times . Associated Press. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "PM Netanyahu's Remarks after his Meeting with Oman's Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs" (Press release). Israel: Prime Minister's Office. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  17. ↑ Wintour, Patrick (25 January 2019). "UK to attend US summit on Iran on condition of Yemen talks". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  18. ↑ "Mike Pence: Iran is greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle East". Arab News. 14 February 2019.
  19. ↑ Pence accuses Iran of pursuing 'another Holocaust,' lashes out at alli es
  20. ↑ "Iran denounces US-led Middle East conference in Warsaw". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera.
  21. ↑ "World powers gather for Warsaw Middle East summit expected to pressure on Iran". Arab News. 13 February 2019.
  22. ↑ "Iranians rally in support of resistance at Warsaw Conference". Saudi Gazette. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  23. ↑ "Free Iran Rally in Warsaw calls for recognition of Iranian people's right to overthrow regime". Albspirit. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  24. ↑ "Rudy Giuliani appears on stage with anti-Tehran group once branded terrorists". Financial Times . 13 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  25. ↑ Shotter, James; Huber, Evon; Bozorgmehr, Najmeh; Sevastopulo, Demetri (13 February 2019). "Rudy Giuliani appears on stage with anti-Tehran group once branded terrorists". Financial Times . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  26. ↑ Hjelmgaard, Kim. "Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani's side project: Bashing Iran, in Poland". USA Today . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Hamas Islamic Resistance - Hamas condemns Arab participation in Warsaw conference". Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "Turkey not to attend anti-Iran Warsaw summit". 13 February 2019.
  29. ↑ Kahana, Ariel (2 March 2021). "Pompeo: US officials tried to undermine Abraham Accords to help Palestinians". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  30. ↑ Raphael, Ahren (14 February 2019). "In Warsaw, Pence hails sight of Netanyahu 'breaking bread' with Arab leaders". Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.