India has emphasized that only proposals acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine can lead to lasting peace, as New Delhi chose to disassociate itself from the final document issued on June 16 at the conclusion of a Peace Summit in Switzerland. India was among at least seven countries that refused to endorse the “Joint Communique on a Peace Framework” released in Burgenstock, the venue of the two-day summit. The communique, calling for the protection of Ukraine’s “territorial integrity,” was built on Ukraine’s peace formula and UN charter and resolutions, and was signed by more than 80 countries.
“Our participation in the summit and continued engagement with all stakeholders is with a view to understanding different perspectives, approaches, and options to find a way forward for a sustainable resolution of the conflict,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (West) Pavan Kapoor. “In our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace,” he added, explaining India’s stance at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the summit, but Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited, with Swiss officials indicating that Russia could join a future conference on the “road map” to peace. Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates were among the countries that also refused to sign the communique. Brazil maintained observer status, while China declined the invitation to participate altogether.
Swiss Ambassador to India Ralf Heckner noted that despite India’s decision to abstain from signing, “it was good that India was present” at a conference where countries represented “half of the world” and a “quarter of the world” was represented by heads of state or government.
In a statement, the MEA said India attended the summit, along with previous meetings at the NSA level in Jeddah in August 2023 and Deputy NSA level in Davos in January 2023, in line with its desire to “facilitate a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.”
“Such a resolution requires a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict [Russia and Ukraine],” the statement added. India’s decision to attend but distance itself from the joint statement aligns with the government’s consistent policy of abstention from all resolutions at the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, International Atomic Energy Agency, and Human Rights Council that are critical of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Organizers had stated the invitation to India, as well as leading countries of the Global South or BICS (referring to Brazil-India-China-South Africa or BRICS minus Russia), was especially important to bring about a global consensus and include their concerns on food and energy security. During a visit to India last month to emphasize this point, Swiss Foreign Secretary Alexandre Fasel said India and fellow BICS countries could act as “go-betweens that have the trust of either side,” referring to Russia and Western countries supporting Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had originally been invited to the summit, where a number of world leaders, except U.S. President Joe Biden, who sent Vice-President Kamala Harris, attended. Modi declined the invitation but met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G-7 outreach summit in Italy on Friday, promising support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
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