As the government keeps organisers of a global Ukraine peace conference, to be held in June, guessing, Swiss Foreign Secretary Alexandre Fasel is arriving in India for meetings with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials on May 17 to push for a response. The invitation to India for the “Summit on Peace in Ukraine” for heads of state and government, to be held in the Swiss town of Burgenstock on June 15-16, was discussed by Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his visit to Delhi in early February, and also by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba during his visit to Delhi in April, but officials said the government had not yet taken a decision about whether to attend and at what level. Mr. Fasel’s visit comes close on the heels of the signing of the India-EFTA trade pact, which includes Switzerland, and he is expected to meet with Secretary (West) Pavan Kapoor to discuss the conference invitation, trade and other bilateral issues.
While the Swiss government has invited 160 heads of state and government, and leaders of G-7, including U.S. President Joe Biden, are expected to travel to Switzerland after the G-7 summit in Italy on June 13-15, the organisers have given the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) minus Russia and countries in the Global South a particular focus in order to broaden the impact of the outcomes, beyond U.S. allies and European countries.
