ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received an invitation to attend a Global Peace Summit concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict, scheduled to take place in Switzerland from June 15.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Pakistan, Markiian Chuchuk, confirmed that Switzerland, in collaboration with Ukraine, has extended the invitation to Prime Minister Sharif for his participation in the upcoming peace summit. The Foreign Office has verified that the prime minister has received the invitation from the Swiss government.
The summit is expected to build upon discussions held over the past months during national security advisers’ meetings, following Ukraine’s Peace Formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in various locations including Copenhagen, Jeddah, Malta, and Davos.
Despite the invitation, sources from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have indicated that Prime Minister Sharif may not be able to attend due to prior engagements, including his upcoming visit to China on June 4 for the formal launch of CPEC-II phase and the forthcoming federal budget announcement for the fiscal year 2024-25, which is expected around June 11 or 12. The summit aims to provide a platform for diverse perspectives on the peace process and initiate work on a joint peace framework.
In other news, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the contributions of UN peacekeeping missions worldwide on the occasion of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed on May 29. He acknowledged the critical role played by Pakistani peacekeepers in global peace and security.
Additionally, Prime Minister Sharif met with a delegation of Buddhist leaders, expressing pride in Pakistan’s rich Buddhist heritage and welcoming their participation in a symposium titled “From Gandhara to the World,” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with Vesak Day. The delegation included Sri Lanka’s Minister for Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wikramanayaka, Most Venerable Thich Duc Tuan from Vietnam, Most Venerable Anil Sakya from Thailand, and Dr Keshabman Shakya from Nepal.
