Switzerland welcomes China-Brazil peace initiative for Ukraine

The war between Ukraine and Russia has been raging for more than two years Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Switzerland has welcomed the peace initiative of China and Brazil on Ukraine despite an absence of reference to the UN Charter or an explicit mention of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

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Switzerland was invited to a meeting held by the two countries on Friday on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Switzerland supports the principles of the initiative by China and Brazil because it calls for a ceasefire and a political solution to the conflict, Nicolas Bideau, spokesman for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Friday. He was responding to an article in the newspaper Le Temps.

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The initiative is important because it offers an alternative to the bellicose speeches made this week at the UN by both the Ukrainian and Russian sides, said Bideau. Switzerland has always emphasised the importance of a reference to the UN Charter in peace initiatives.

According to Mr Bideau, the importance of the UN Charter in the context of the initiative was mentioned this week by the Chinese Foreign Minister in the UN Security Council. For the Swiss foreign office, the initiative falls within the framework of the UN Charter.

From Bürgenstock to Ottawa

Switzerland was the only Western country to be invited to the meeting, Bideau confirmed. According to Le Temps, the United States and Europe does not support this initiative, as the lack of any mention of the UN Charter is seen as an endorsement of Moscow’s strategy.

At the Swiss-hosted Bürgenstock peace conference this summer, Switzerland showed that it is in a position to bring the global North and South into dialogue with each other, said Bideau. Switzerland supports the principle of a path to peace based on concrete proposals.

In this context, Bideau pointed out that Canada, whose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was present at the summit in Switzerland in June, would be holding a follow-up conference in Ottawa in October. The meeting will deal with humanitarian issues such as prisoners, child abduction, abduction of civilians and compliance with the Geneva Conventions.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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