Featured image: Plenary at the Ukraine Peace Summit. Photo: Pascal Lauener/Gettyimages.ru.
The final document at what’s being called the “Ukraine peace summit,” held this weekend in Switzerland received the support of 80 countries out of the 92 present. Some key countries from the Global South that attended the summit, namely Saudi Arabia, Thailand, India, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and the UAE, as well as Armenia and Slovakia, refused to sign the declaration.
In Switzerland, more than 90 countries took part in Ukraine's peace summit. 80 countries and 4 EU institutions signed Ukraine's joint communiqué at its end today. Noticeably absent is India, UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. pic.twitter.com/lsWKFCrFOX
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) June 16, 2024
In the document, the signatory countries expressed their commitment to “refrain from resorting to the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” as well as respecting “the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders, including territorial waters,” among other things.
They also indicated three crucial aspects. The first refers to the safety of nuclear facilities.
The document reads “Ukrainian nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Zaporozhie NPP [Nuclear Power Plant], must operate safely and securely under the full sovereign control of Ukraine and in accordance with the principles of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and under its supervision. Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is inadmissible.”
The second aspect includes, “full and safe commercial navigation, as well as access to the seaports of the Black and Azov Seas,” to ensure “global food security.” The document further states, “Food security must not become a weapon of any kind. Ukrainian agricultural products must be supplied safely and freely to interested third countries.”
Finally, the need for a complete exchange of all prisoners of war is emphasized, “All illegally deported and displaced Ukrainian children, and all other illegally detained Ukrainian civilians, must be returned to Ukraine.”
Furthermore, in the statement, the countries committed to “adopt concrete measures in the future in the aforementioned areas, with greater commitment from the representatives of all parties.”
The peace conference in Switzerland, to which Russia was not invited, began on June 15 and brought together fewer attendees than expected. Many major countries refused to participate in the summit, stating that there is no point in discussing the possibility of ending the conflict without Russia present.
Featured image: Plenary at the Ukraine Peace Summit. Photo: Pascal Lauener/Gettyimages.ru.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/MCM
