Türkiye to call for peace at Ukraine summit

Serkan Demirtaş – ANKARA

Türkiye will once again proclaim its readiness to contribute to a fair and lasting peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine during a two-day summit in Switzerland, the diplomatic sources told.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland’s city of Bern on June 15 and 16 where around 100 countries will be represented. The United States will deploy Vice President Kamala Harris, while France will be represented by President Emmanuel Macron and Germany by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the summit to which Russia has not been invited. China said it won’t attend the summit due to the absence of Russia.

Diplomatic sources informed that Fidan would make a speech at the summit and highlight six important points concerning the continued war between Türkiye’s two northern neighboring countries.

The first point Fidan will make is that the destructive impact of the conflict on Ukraine is increasing as well as its deepening impact on a global and regional scale. The war staged by Russia in 2022 claimed the lives of thousands of civilians in Ukraine and destroyed the country’s infrastructure in many of its regions. In addition, around 4.3 million Ukrainians had to flee their country.

Secondly, Fidan will warn the participants about the potential escalation of the war and the use of weapons of mass destruction. During the summit, the Turkish top diplomat will reiterate Türkiye’s unwavering support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.

Summit should bring two warring sides together

Another important point that Fidan will underline at the summit is that such initiatives will be more likely to yield positive results if both warring parties participate. Ankara has long been urging the international community to allow Russia to participate in the summit, but Ukraine and other organizers insisted that this summit will first create a road map and principles for peace.

During his address to the summit, Fidan will recall that Türkiye managed to bring senior Russian and Ukrainian officials together and brokered direct negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022. He will also remind that more than 34 million tons of food products were shipped to the world markets between 2022 and 2023 as a result of the Türkiye-led Black Sea Grain İnitiative.

The foreign minister will also emphasize that Türkiye endorses an end to the ongoing war through diplomacy and negotiations while voicing the Turkish government’s readiness to contribute to international efforts for a fair and lasting solution.