Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation
10/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/01/2024 02:40
In Montreal, Ignazio Cassis stresses human dimension on road to peace in Ukraine
On 30 October 2024, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, took part in the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine's 10-Point Peace Formula. This meeting in Montreal concludes the series of follow-up conferences announced in June 2024 at the Bürgenstock resort. During the conference, Mr Cassis held political discussions with Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
Four months ago, three thematic conferences were announced at the Bürgenstock Summit on Peace in Ukraine, to follow up on its main topics. The first was held online on 4 September 2024 and scrutinised food security issues. The second took place in Paris on 17 October 2024 and focused on nuclear safety. At the third, organised by Canada, Norway and Ukraine and held in Montreal on 30 and 31 October 2024, the human dimension of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine took centre stage.
With regard to humanitarian considerations, the Joint Communiqué of the Bürgenstock Summit called for the exchange of all prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the return of all deported children and political prisoners to Ukraine. Mr Cassis discussed these topics - as well as continuing Swiss support for a Ukraine peace process - in his bilateral talks in Montreal on 30 October with Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. He underscored Switzerland's continued commitment to a lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter, reaffirming that Switzerland will participate in the relevant discussions on how, in view of a second peace summit, Russia can be brought into a peace process.
At the conference in Montreal, Switzerland made it clear that respect for the Geneva Conventions should not only be demanded, but must be strengthened through concrete measures. One example of such measures is Switzerland contributing its expertise to the search for missing persons in Ukraine.
In addition to Mr Cassis, Ambassador Gabriel Lüchinger, head of the FDFA's International Security Division, also represented Switzerland in Montreal. Since the national security advisers' meeting in Davos in January and the summit at the Bürgenstock resort in June, Mr Lüchinger has been coordinating Switzerland's engagement in this area, in collaboration with many other countries. In Montreal, he took part in various thematic discussions and held bilateral talks on the next steps in the peace process, including with Andriy Jermak, head of the Ukrainian president's office.
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