Switzerland supports Ukraine initiative by China and Brazil
Published: Friday, Sep 27th 2024, 17:10
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Switzerland supports the peace initiative of China and Brazil on Ukraine. This is despite the fact that there is no reference to the UN Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine is not explicitly mentioned. 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 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".
The initiative is important because it offers an alternative to the bellicose speeches that have come from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides at the UN this week, said Bideau. When publishing the initiative, Switzerland had pointed out the importance of a reference to the UN Charter, which was missing.
According to Bideau, the importance of the UN Charter in the context of the initiative was recalled this week by the Chinese Foreign Minister in the UN Security Council. For the FDFA, the initiative is within the framework of the UN Charter.
Switzerland was the only Western country to be invited, as Bideau confirmed. According to Le Temps, the US and the Europeans do not support this initiative, as the lack of any mention of the UN Charter is seen as an endorsement of Moscow's strategy.
From Bürgenstock to Ottawa
At the Bürgenstock Conference, Switzerland showed that it is in a position to bring the global North and South into conversation with each other, said the FDFA spokesperson. 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.
©Keystone/SDA
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