For the first time , the defense ministers of Germany and France , Ursula von der Leyen and Jean-Yves Le Drian , opened the conference together . In her speech , Minister von der Leyen focused on the challenges associated with the European refugee crisis . She stressed that helping refugees was a humanitarian obligation . The defense minister reported that the Bundeswehr participated , as part of a NATO mission in the eastern Mediterranean , in the fight against people smuggling and contributed to the integration of refugees in Germany by training refugees in civilian occupations . Von der Leyen also stressed that the influx of refugees had to be reduced as a whole , in order to help focus on those people in actual need of protection . In his part of the opening speech , minister Le Drian focused on the war in Syria and international terrorism . Against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attacks in France , he called for a strengthening of the fight against the ‘ Islamic State ’ terrorist militia . A ceasefire in Syria , he said , could only be reached if Russia put an end to its bombing attacks in the country
terrorist attacks in France
November 2015 Paris attacks
Munich Security Conference