We are expecting African leaders at Peace Summit, - Zelenskyy. VIDEO
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the African people on the occasion of Africa Day.
This is stated in Zelenskyy's address, Censor.NET reports.
The President noted that Africa has always been and will always be important for the development of all mankind.
"Now every true leader sees that the forces on the planet are changing, and in this century it will be impossible to be truly strong without cooperation and mutual respect with the nations of Africa. And this is not something purely political. It is a fact of our life on the planet: Africa, its people, its opportunities, its stability will determine what the rest of our world is capable of.
It is my sincere wish that Africa will be a continent of peace, of respect for every community and of sovereign nations whose voice will always count when global affairs are decided. Every outside power should get used to the fact that your continent is home to its peoples and you choose who deserves your affection. This is exactly how it should be," he said in his address.
Zelenskyy noted that despite the brutal full-scale invasion of Russia, Ukraine is doing its best to confirm with practical deeds our philosophy of attitude towards other nations - our respect for every nation.
"Firstly, we have broken the naval blockade of our ports launched by the Russian navy and resumed maritime exports and humanitarian supplies of our food. Grain from Ukraine is already contributing to the food security of countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. And we are expanding our food supplies. We are ready to help more. We are ready to build food hubs in Africa and invest our experience in the technological development of your countries. In particular, we have recently discussed this with the leader of Mozambique. I hope to cooperate with other countries as well. Secondly, Ukraine has always respected the thousands and thousands of students from Africa who have come to study at our universities for decades. It is clear that now, during the war on our land, educational exchange is limited. However, it will definitely be resumed - and based on current needs. Every nation deserves a strong enough educational sovereignty to have its own foundation for social development in its country, so that young people stay at home and build a life of benefit for their homeland. We are ready to help with this. And the third point is the basis of the foundations of modern life - energy. Due to the attacks of Russian missiles, due to the attacks of Russian drones on our power plants, we need to completely rebuild the Ukrainian energy sector - to make it more decentralised, more modern, more secure, and we will definitely do it," Zelenskyy stressed.
The President also reminded that Ukraine had recently carried out the largest simultaneous wave of embassy openings in Africa - ten new embassies were opened on the continent.
"We are waiting for the leaders of Africa at the Peace Summit and we wish peace to all of you!" Zelenskyy concluded.
Global Peace Summit
As a reminder, the two-day high-level conference will look for ways to achieve peace in Ukraine. However, as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted earlier, the Global Peace Summit will not discuss the process of ending the war.
A number of countries from all continents were invited to participate in the first peace summit. However, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Russia is not expected to participate in the event.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy admitted that Russia would try to disrupt the summit in Switzerland.
In total, more than 50 countries out of 160 invited have confirmed that they will participate in the Global Peace Summit.
