Eighty countries jointly called this Sunday (06/16/2024) for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” to be the basis of any peace agreement to end the Russian invasion, although some nations did not join.
The joint statement capped a two-day conference in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock marked by the absence of Russia, which was not invited but many attendees hoped would join.
Around 100 delegations, mostly Western countries but also some key developing nations, were present at the conference.
Participants India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, who were represented by foreign ministers or lower-level envoys, were among those who did not sign the final document, which focuses on issues of nuclear security, food security and exchange of prisoners.
Brazil, an “observer” country, did not sign, but Turkey, which has sought to act as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine, did.
The final document says that the United Nations Charter and “respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the “first steps towards peace” at the meeting and said that the joint communiqué remains “open to accession by all who respect the United Nations Charter.”
rr (ap/dpa/efe/ue)
