Turkish foreign minister to attend Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend this weekend's Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland to express Ankara's readiness to support international efforts for a just and lasting solution to the war in Ukraine.

Addressing the opening session of the summit, Fidan is expected to say that the destructive impact of the conflict on Ukraine is growing and its negative consequences at the regional and global levels are deepening, diplomatic sources said Friday.

Fidan will stress that the risk of the war spreading and resorting to weapons of mass destruction is growing and that Türkiye supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

Fidan will highlight that a summit that includes all parties to the conflict would be more likely to produce results.

Russia, which stared the war in February 2022, was not invited to the summit.

Fidan is also expected to mention how Ankara spearheaded efforts such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and that Türkiye hosted negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022.

Fidan will also emphasize that Ankara advocates for a peaceful end to the war as soon as possible through diplomacy, negotiations, and peaceful means.

The summit will be held at the Burgenstock Resort on Saturday and Sunday.

According to Switzerland, representatives from about 100 countries are expected to attend the summit. At the summit, ideas will be exchanged on initiating a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul