The Ukrainian Foreign Minister expounded the disappearance of some countries’ signatures during the Swiss summit was due to the fact that the signatures were put before the countries’ official decision, according to the Ukrainian media.
The peace summit on Ukraine took place in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock on 15-16 June. However, the final document of the meeting went unsupported by Armenia, Bahrain, Brazil, Vatican City, India, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the Vatican.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in the interview on YouTube that the initial list of signatories included countries that had not yet confirmed their consent. According to him, the countries approached and said the document was still under consideration. It was only after this that these countries were off the list.
When they (countries) approached and said, ‘Wait, we are still considering this document,’ because it went to the last moment, they were taken off the list, the foreign minister clarified.
Kuleba also mentioned the sole reason for this is because the final document remained in draft until the end of the summit. He also mentioned the list was to include some countries from Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Oceania, but did not name which countries.
Forgery is a criminal offence in international and national law, which usually refers to the making of false documents or the material alteration of a legal document. Therefore, signing a treaty in the absence of a country’s official position as in this situation is impermissible, critics say.
The aim of the conference in Switzerland was to consolidate support for Ukraine’s negotiating position in the war with Russia with the support of as many countries as possible. But some countries questioned the value of the peace talks in Switzerland, as the conference cannot lead to anything if one of the parties to the conflict is absent.
