India Will Continue To Engage With All Parties To Help Achieve Lasting Peace In Ukraine: MEA

India shared its view on the Swiss summit on peace in Ukraine on Sunday and stated that it will continue to engage with everyone involved, including both sides of the conflict, to help achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.

"India shares the global concern over the situation in Ukraine and supports any collective desire to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We will continue to engage with all stakeholders, as well as the two parties to the conflict, to contribute to all earnest efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine," said Pavan Kapoor, Secretary (West) Ministry of External Affairs, who represented India at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, hosted by Switzerland at Burgenstock.

The Indian delegation attended the opening and closing plenary sessions of the summit, which began on June 15 and concluded on 16 June, bringing together representatives from 92 countries and organisations. Russia was not invited to the summit while China decided not to attend it.

In a brief address, the senior Indian diplomat said, "Our participation in this 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."

Accordingly, New Delhi will continue to engage with all stakeholders as well as the two parties to the conflict to contribute to all earnest efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, Kapoor said, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release.

"In our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace. In line with this approach, we have decided to avoid association with the Joint Communique or any other document emerging from this summit," Kapoor said.

The release also said that India continues to believe that such a resolution requires a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict.

"India's participation in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, as well as in the preceding NSA/Political-Director level meetings based on Ukraine's Peace Formula, is in line with our clear and consistent approach that enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacy," said MEA.

"We continue to believe that such a peace requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict." the MEA added.

According to MEA, "We deem it important to join this gathering that seeks to explore the way forward to a negotiated settlement of a very complex and pressing issue." (ANI)