Thank you Mr. President,
Italy fully aligns itself with the statement by the European Union and would like to add some considerations in its national capacity.
We commend the Swiss Government for convening the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, with the participation of around 100 delegations of Countries from all continents and international organizations. It marked a first important step toward restoring diplomacy’s rightful role and we welcome the Joint Communiqué adopted. It was also important the UN presence at the conference.
Italy remains committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in line with the UN Charter, based on the principles of sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity. We firmly believe that the full implementation of these principles is a matter not only in the exclusive interest of Ukraine and Europe, but of the entire UN membership. The respect of these principles is what holds the international community together. If we resigned to the idea that ’might can rule over right’ we would negate the principle of equality among member states which is at the very core of the UN system. Therefore, our appeal to all MS of the UN community is as follows: do not get misled by fake narratives confusing peace with surrender, or narratives artificially putting the West against the East or the South. The outcome of this conflict and the destiny of the system of rules based on the UN Charter are clearly intertwined.
We are not at war with Russia or Russian people, but we are determined to continue to contrast Russia’s policy of blatant violation of the principles of the UN Charter.
These principles have been strongly evoked and reaffirmed by the G7 Leaders’ Summit chaired by Italy last week, with the participation of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The Summit delivered a clear message of support for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.
In this regard, the G7 also called on third countries to cease the transfer of dual-use materials that contribute to sustain Russia’s invasion.
The Peace Conference in Switzerland created a common framework that enabled discussions of topics related to conflict and of vital global interest for everyone, such as nuclear safety, food security and the humanitarian dimension, including the protection of Ukrainian children.
We must now call for an even greater involvement of all UN Member States to ensure that these 3 spheres of action receive consistent follow-up. We need diplomacy, also to sustain the legitimate concerns and expectations of developing countries, which are impacted by the broader repercussions of this conflict, in terms of disruptions to global supply chains and food security.
With this in mind, Mr. President, we encourage the participation of all Global Partners from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in these discussions. We remain committed to collaborating with all partners ready to support peace efforts. Now is time to intensify our collective efforts to achieve this goal.
I Thank you.
