Milken Institute Global Conference panel discussion featuring Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in LA, USA;
Credit: MAE Luxembourg
On Sunday 3 and Monday 4 May 2026, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, attended the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, in the United States.
Held under the theme "Leading in a New Era", this 29th edition brought together political leaders, representatives from the private and financial sectors, and representatives of international organisations.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Minister Bettel participated in several panel discussions during the conference, notably on European competitiveness, particularly in the defence sector, and on the current international economic situation.
During the panel discussion titled "Tradewinds: Navigating Economic Uncertainty", Xavier Bettel joined Whitney Baird, President and CEO of the US Council for International Business; John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce; Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Chile's Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Michael Roberts, CEO of HSBC Bank plc and CEO of Corporate and Institutional Banking at HSBC.
Minister Bettel stated: "In a context of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, dialogue and the pursuit of common goals are more essential than ever. Our strength has always lay in our ability to act together and maintain pragmatic transatlantic partnerships. At the same time, we must strengthen European competitiveness by working more closely together, leveraging our complementarities and building on a solid industrial and technological base, as well as high-level innovation ecosystems. In this context, Luxembourg remains a reliable and agile platform within the European Union, thanks to its economic openness, stability and capacity for rapid decision-making."
On the sidelines of the conference, the minister met with Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange platform with a presence in Luxembourg.
He also visited Blue Origin's Los Angeles office, which focuses on developing the use of space resources. The company recently opened its European office in Luxembourg, which is expected to become a strategic hub to support its global supply chain and strengthen cooperation with the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and other Luxembourgish and European institutional and industrial partners.
