Muting the Global Dialogue in Davos
- 8 years ago
The World Economic Forum , which on Wednesday begins its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, brings together political and business leaders to discuss the world's most pressing problems.
And so it wasn't a complete surprise to see that the foreign minister of North Korea, Ri Su-Yong, had accepted an invitation to attend the summit meeting in the Swiss Alps.
But in early January, after North Korea's fourth nuclear test, which was broadly condemned, the World Economic Forum revoked Mr. Ri's invitation.
Two years ago, the Ukrainian prime minister, Mykola Azarov, who had flown to Davos and was scheduled to speak on a Friday afternoon, was disinvited from the conference after several protesters were shot in Kiev.
"The forum had a unique opportunity to listen to the head of government of Ukraine, to get a wider point of view - it's hard to tell who lost more in this affair," Mr. Azarov said in the interview.
And so it wasn't a complete surprise to see that the foreign minister of North Korea, Ri Su-Yong, had accepted an invitation to attend the summit meeting in the Swiss Alps.
But in early January, after North Korea's fourth nuclear test, which was broadly condemned, the World Economic Forum revoked Mr. Ri's invitation.
Two years ago, the Ukrainian prime minister, Mykola Azarov, who had flown to Davos and was scheduled to speak on a Friday afternoon, was disinvited from the conference after several protesters were shot in Kiev.
"The forum had a unique opportunity to listen to the head of government of Ukraine, to get a wider point of view - it's hard to tell who lost more in this affair," Mr. Azarov said in the interview.