In Montreal an international high-level meeting was held on the humanitarian dimension of Ukraine’s 10 point peace initiative

On 30 and 31 of October 2024 in Montreal, Canada, an international high-level meeting was held on the humanitarian dimension of Ukraine’s 10 point peace initiative.

"Latvia strongly supports the peace initiative based on the basic principles of the UN Charter, and Latvia will provide comprehensive and long-term support to Ukraine until its complete victory. In the fight against Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, the international community must be united," parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Justice Lauma Paegļkalna emphasized at the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen diplomatic efforts and channels to return Ukrainian prisoners of war, illegally detained civilians and illegally deported or forcibly displaced children.

In the discussions, L. Paegļkalna strongly condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law and poses a direct threat to world peace. She also stated that a clear, strong and unified international response is necessary, which is essential not only for ensuring Ukraine's sovereignty, but also for guaranteeing global stability and security in the long term.

Also, L. Paegļkalna expressed the need to hold Russia accountable for the war crimes commited to Ukraine in all possible international formats, especially in connection with the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

In order to ensure Russia's full responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, L. Paegļkalna repeatedly expressed Latvia's support for the establishment of the Special Tribunal. This November, a meeting of the Core Group for the establishment of the Special Tribunal will be held in Riga in order to facilitate the process of establishing this tribunal.

The thematic meeting, held in Canada, was the ninth and final thematic meeting on the Ukraine Peace Initiative before the planned second peace summit. Latvia participated at a high level in all nine thematic meetings, including on October 24, in Riga, after the third parliamentary summit of the Crimean platform, a thematic meeting was held on point 5 of the Ukrainian peace initiative "Implementation of the UN Charter and restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and world order".

Photo: www.president.gov.ua and https://www.coe.int

Author: Ministry of Justice