India refrains from signing joint communique at Swiss Peace Summit; pushes for 'sincere' engagement between Russia, Ukraine

India on Sunday was among the countries that did not sign a joint communique at a Switzerlandhosted summit for peace in Ukraine even as New Delhi called for sincere and practical engagement between Moscow and Kyiv for a peaceful resolution to the conflictPavan Kapoor Secretary West in the Ministry of External Affairs MEA represented India at the summit in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock that was attended by delegates from more than 100 countries and organisations including several heads of state Russia was not invited to the summit while China decided not to attend itIndia said it did not associate itself with any communique or document emerging from the summit asserting only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace In a brief address the senior Indian diplomat said New Delhis participation in the summit and several earlier meetings of senior officials based on Ukraines peace formula was in line with our clear and consistent approach that enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacyWe 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 he saidAccordingly 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 Kapoor saidThe senior diplomat said Indias participation in the summit and continued engagement with all stakeholders is aimed at understanding different perspectives approaches and options to find a way forward for a sustainable resolution of the conflictIn our view only those options acceptable to both the 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 he notedThe key objective of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine that concluded on Sunday was to inspire a future peace processThe Indian delegation attended the opening and closing plenary sessions of the summitIn his remarks Kapoor said India deemed it important to join the gathering that seeks to explore the way forward to a negotiated settlement of a very complex and pressing issueIndia shares the global concern over the situation in Ukraine and supports any collective desire to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict he saidIndias participation in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine as well as in the preceding NSAPoliticalDirector level meetings based on Ukraines Peace Formula is in line with our clear and consistent approach that enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacy Kapoor addedIn the joint communique issued at the end of the Peace Summit the signatories reaffirmed their commitment to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and the principles of sovereignty independence and territorial integrity of all states including Ukraine within their internationally recognised bordersA Swiss foreign ministry statement said 83 states and organisations approved the joint communique at the end of the HighLevel Conference on Peace in UkraineWe believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties We therefore decided to undertake concrete steps in the future in the abovementioned areas with further engagement of the representatives of all parties the joint communique saidFollowing Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on multiple occasionsIndia has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogueAt the summit Ukrainian President Zelenskyy sought support for his 10point peace plan that he first outlined in 2022The peace formula is inclusive and we are happy to hear and work on all proposals all ideas of what is really needed for peace and what is important to you dear friends Zelenskyy saidI urge you to be as active as possible and I am proud all parts of the world all continents are now represented at the peace summit he saidThe peace summit was built on the previous discussions that have taken place based on Ukraines Peace Formula and other peace proposalsPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met the Ukrainian president on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italys ApuliaIn the talks Modi conveyed to Zelenskyy that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through dialogue and diplomacyThe prime minister also told the president that India believes in a humancentric approachThe prime minister conveyed that India continues to encourage peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy and reiterated that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution the MEA said after the meetingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever