Davos 2022: Handshakes of the powerful in the shadow of war

In the shadow of the war in Ukraine and amid fears of a global food crisis, the World Economic Forum (WEF) began in Davos, Switzerland.

For four days a year, an idyllic small Swiss Alpine town comes to life as it hosts 2,500 of the world’s most powerful politicians and businessmen, and Davos has become synonymous with the World Economic Forum (WEF), which hosts it for the first time in five years. history and after a two-year hiatus due to pandemic restrictions, the WEF takes place in the spring.

However, the spring climate alone is not reminiscent of the war raging in Ukraine and the spread of concern about a global crisis that is beginning to show its teeth.

Do not let “brutal violence” prevail

Next, Volodymyr Zelensky was the first leader to address the conference by teleconference. “History is at a turning point, where it’s really being judged whether brutal violence will prevail in the world,” he said, calling for help and calling on the international community to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, including an oil embargo.

The war shows “that support for the attacking country is more valuable as soon as it is provided: weapons, funding, political support and sanctions against Russia,” he said to a standing ovation. “This February will save tens of thousands of lives.”

“Hunger as a weapon”

The German government at this year’s WEF is represented by both Chancellor Olaf Solz, who will speak on the last day, and Deputy Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Hubek. Speaking to German radio station Deutschlandfunk shortly before leaving, Habeck spoke in favor of a European embargo on Russian oil, saying “it does not help if each country does its own thing.”

Hubeck also dismissed a question about Qatar’s human rights record a few weeks after his visit to Germany for possible liquefied natural gas supplies. “Qatar is just one piece of the puzzle in this whole game. We do not have to deal too much with that now,” he said. used as a weapon within the next year. “We should not be deluded either: Putin’s barbarism knows no bounds.”

Present and absent

In addition to Solz and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Layen, the Secretary General NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the Klitschko brothers and Henry Kissinger are among the leaders and personalities included in the WEF program – a program that lacks the glamor of the pre-Corona era, with relatively few names of leaders appearing.

The most notorious absence, however, is that of Russia, as the organizers did not invite officials or Russian companies. It is noteworthy that the “House of Russia”, the building that once served as a base for Russian missions in Davos, has been temporarily renamed the “House of Russian War Crimes” and houses a report on alleged war crimes by Russian troops.

Appeal to billionaires

Although Bill Gates is scheduled to speak three times during the four-day forum, two other of the richest people in the world, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, appear to be shining through their absence, at least according to the program as it stands until moment.

Speaking on the sidelines of the WEF, the head of the UN World Food Program, David Beasley, called on billionaires to “do the right thing” amid growing food insecurity, but also signs that the aforementioned will respond to the challenge.

“Musk gave $ 6 billion to an institution and everyone believed that the money came to us, but we have not received anything yet, so I am optimistic,” Beasley told the Associated Press. “We are trying our best. Elon, we need your help, bro.”

Edited by: Katerina Alexandridi (APress, Reuters, DLF)

Source: Deutsche Welle