Latvia’s president expresses “positive surprise” after conference
Published: Monday, Jun 17th 2024, 01:40
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Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics expressed his "positive surprise" after the Ukraine peace conference at Bürgenstock NW. Switzerland made an important contribution with the summit, as Rinkevics said in an interview.
It was important to bring Ukraine back onto the world stage, said Rinkevics in an interview with Tamedia published on Monday.
According to the Latvian president, the fact that Switzerland realized the summit with Ukraine and like-minded countries showed that it was still able to fulfil its role as a negotiating partner. "I also include the fact that it has joined some international sanctions," he said.
According to Rinkevics, the conference went better than expected. There had been attempts to prevent countries from the Global South from participating. This was not successful.
The lost year 2024
Rinkevics does not expect another conference this year. Much now depends on the diplomatic process, he said. A key question is how China can be integrated. "But I'm not naive: 2024 is the lost year for me," he said.
At the end of the Ukraine conference, the vast majority of participants called for "all parties" to be involved in a peace process. However, they remained divided on the key issues of when and how exactly Russia should be involved.
According to Rinkevics, Russia is waiting for the US elections before making any decisions. In addition, there are the new elections in France, the still unresolved composition of the EU Commission and the military reality in Ukraine. "In my view, the Russians have no interest in bringing about major changes before the end of the year," said Rinkevics.
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