The head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has defended a decision to allow lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to attend the high-profile security policy forum in 2026, after the party was excluded from recent editions.

The MSC is a forum for dialogue which "traditionally aims to present as broad a spectrum of opinions as possible, including opposing views," Wolfgang Ischinger told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper in comments published Monday.

The AfD, which is Germany's biggest opposition party, has mobilized voters with a hardline anti-immigration platform, while many of its members are seen as sympathetic to Russia.

In May, the populist party was decreed as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence service, a designation that inflamed debate about whether the party should be banned. The classification has since been put on hold pending a legal challenge.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the MSC told dpa that invitations for the next MSC in February 2026 were recently sent to politicians from all parties represented in the German parliament, with the selection focussing on lawmakers serving on committees relevant to foreign and security policy.

Ischinger, currently acting as chairman of the conference again until the role is taken up by former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, rejected accusations that the MSC was "tearing down firewalls" by inviting the AfD, referring to a refusal by Germany's established parties to cooperate with the far-right party to keep it from power.

The conference was not about government participation, Ischinger said, adding that it was up to the political parties to ensure that the AfD no longer sits in parliament.