Thank you, Mister President,
Secretary-General,
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is crucial that this Council continues to reflect on ways to restore peace and put an end to the Russian war against Ukraine. And this in the presence of Ukraine; I welcome here the presence of President Zelensky.
I firmly believe in the importance of respecting the United Nations Charter, international humanitarian law and the application of the Geneva Conventions, whose 75th anniversary we are celebrating this year.
And yet, despite all the tools established since the end of the Second World War, we have not succeeded in silencing the weapons. We have not been able to prevent countless civilians from suffering the consequences.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Until now, this Council has not assumed its responsibility. After 1000 days of war, we still have not found a diplomatic solution.
Why are we unable to agree on the path to peace? Have we lost the common grammar of peace?
I am a minister because I believe in the power of politics to serve the common good. Politics must always call into question the maxim of the strategist von Clausewitz that “war is the mere continuation of politics by other means”.
And the UN is politics.
Excellencies,
It takes courage to make peace.
By organising the first Summit on Peace in Ukraine last June, Switzerland had the audacity to put peace on the international agenda in the midst of war.
Countries from five continents met near Lucerne to discuss simply three key issues in the building of peace:
- Nuclear safety ;
- Food security; and
- The humanitarian dimension of the conflict.
The joint communiqué issued at the Bürgenstock, signed by a majority of participants from all over the world, helped to alleviate some of the stumbling blocks revealed by the war in Ukraine and to restore the beginnings of trust between us.
This first step towards peace must be followed by others. It is now essential to continue this dialogue also with Russia.
Only pragmatic diplomacy can get us out of this impasse, which has already cost too many lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While peace must be our priority, the reconstruction of Ukraine is also a collective responsibility. Lasting peace will also depend on well-prepared reconstruction. Switzerland laid the foundations for this reconstruction right from the start of the conflict, with the Lugano Conference.
One of our priorities is humanitarian demining. We are currently investing 120 million dollars in demining civilian and agricultural areas in Ukraine. The “Ukraine Mine Action Conference”, co-organised by Switzerland and Ukraine in a few weeks on 17 and 18 October in Switzerland, will discuss the needs and solutions for this action.
Ukraine is about to face its third winter of war. It is our duty to finally offer the Ukrainian people a spring of peace.
I thank you.