President Akufo-Addo has said Ghana is ready to participate fully in efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Russian-Ukraine war.
Speaking at the Global Peace Summit at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock on Sunday, President Akufo-Addo said a solution to the Russian-Ukraine war must be comprehensive, just and anchored on the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.
More than 90 countries gathered at the Swiss Resort of Burgenstock, Switzerland for a two-day summit mainly to discuss Ukraine’s proposal for a route out of the conflict.
President Akufo-Addo said while pursuing lasting peace in the conflict, it is imperative that they also find ways to engage Russia and China in the process of ending the war.
Stating Ghana’s stance on the Russian-Ukraine conflict, President Akufo-Addo said the war has negatively affected the economies of African countries, especially Ghana, which has caused high inflation and food price spikes.
Worsened living standards and high inflation have characterised the economy of many countries in Africa, he bemoaned.
“We are against this idea of colonialism, of domination in the world but in this context, we look at Russian aggression in Ukraine” he stated.
The consequences of this aggression, President Akufo-Addo noted, go far beyond the conflict. “Africa has become an accidental victim of this conflict, supply chains have been disrupted.”
“This has had a terrible impact on our economies, living standards and inflation. Food prices have skyrocketed and these are some of the consequences of the invasion and so we have an interest in participating in efforts to find a solution to this conflict,” the President emphasised.
At the end of the summit, the countries declared that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” should be respected and urged “dialogue between all parties” to find a lasting peace settlement to the conflict.
In a final communique issued at the end of the two-day summit, the majority of countries backed a call for a full exchange of captured soldiers and the return of captured Ukraine children.
“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” the communique stated.
“Food security must not be weaponised in any way,” the communique stressed and added that access to ports in the Black and Azov Seas was “critical” for global supply.
The final document, among others, which was not backed by some countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, reaffirmed “the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognised borders.”
Brazil, which was listed as an “observer, on the list of countries, also did not appear as a signatory.
In his closing statement on Sunday, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, he hoped the terms agreed on would be achieved “as soon as possible.”
He said, “We will prove to everyone in the world that the UN Charter can be restored to full effectiveness.”
President Zelenskyy said participants had made the right choice, — two securities and one humanitarian item — to start moving towards restoring full security and a just peace.
The dialogue has taken place and it can have very practical consequences, he added.