Kyrgyzstan will refrain from participating in the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Edil Baisalov, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
Kyrgyzstan is in close contacts with the Ukrainian side and Ukraine accepts Kyrgyzstan’s position with understanding, Edil Baisalov said.
“We have been in close contact with the Ukrainian side for a long time. From the very beginning, the head of our state announced that we would adhere to a position where we treat both Ukraine and Russia equally. Both of these states are close to us," he said.
Baisalov further noted that Kyrgyzstan is actively making efforts within the framework of the he Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
Meanwhile, the Kazakhstan authorities do not rule out that the country’s representatives will participate in the Peace Summit in Switzerland.
Recall, Aibek Smadiyarov, an official representative of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, stated that “Kazakhstan advocates compliance with the principles of the UN Charter in any conflicts.”
“Participation of a Kazakh delegation in the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland will be considered taking into account the schedule of other international events… We always speak from the position of preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and observing the principles of the UN Charter,” Mr. Smadiyarov told reporters.
He specifically emphasized that Kazakhstan maintains “equally close” political, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations both with Ukraine and Russia.
Switzerland will host a “Summit on Peace in Ukraine” from June 15-16 at the five-star Bürgenstock hotel above Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland.
The Swiss government says around 70 countries have so far agreed to take part. They include a number of European leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as African and Middle Eastern states.
The BBC reported in late May that the complete agenda has not yet been published, but Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reportedly said the exchange of political prisoners, the safety of nuclear plants, and the return of abducted children should be discussed. It’s not clear if the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, Kyiv’s key demand for any peace deal, will be addressed.
