EU, CELAC leaders speak for just peace in Ukraine

19.07.2023 06:30

Ukrinform

Following the two-day meeting in Brussels, the heads of state and government of the EU member states and the countries of the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) supported efforts to establish a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine, and also advocated the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

This is stated in the declaration of the EU-CELAC summit, published on the European Council website, Ukrinform reports.

"We express deep concern on the ongoing war against Ukraine, which continues to cause immense human suffering and is exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy, constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity and elevating financial stability risks. In this sense, we support the need for a just and sustainable peace," the document says.

"We reiterate equally our support for the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the efforts of the UNSG to secure its extension. We support all diplomatic efforts aimed at a just and sustainable peace in line with the UN charter," said the leaders participating in the summit.

They reaffirmed their specific national positions expressed in other international formats, in particular, within the framework of the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly, including resolutions ES-11/1 of March 2, 2022 and ES-11/6 of February 23, 2023.

"We reaffirm our commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, including the need to respect the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all nations. It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability," the document emphasizes.

As reported earlier, on July 17-18, Brussels hosted for the first time in the past 8 years, the EU-CELAC summit, which considered a wide range of issues, from the development of the economy and trade, to the solution of security and human rights defense issues. Separately, the participants discussed the situation surrounding the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has a negative impact on the economies of the countries across the region, being a source of food and energy insecurity for many of them.