MNE of Portugal highlights the “importance and pertinence” of diplomacy
On Twitter, on the occasion of the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace (#DiplomacyDay), João Gomes Cravinho stressed that it was “urgent that the work of diplomacy silence the weapons that Putin chose to use in Ukraine”.
In the publication, the Portuguese minister reproduces a tweet by António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations (UN), according to which “the central principles of multilateral cooperation are under the greatest pressure since the foundation” of the UN.
In reference to #DiplomacyDay, Guterres calls for “peace to all governments and leaders who renew their commitment to unique dialogue and global solutions — the only sustainable path to peace”.
The UN Secretary General will visit Moscow on Tuesday, April 26, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, and have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On the 28th, Thursday, he is expected in Ukraine, where, in addition to a working meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, he will be received by the President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This calendar drew criticism from Zelenskyy, who decided on two Saturdays “illogical” to António Guterres to move before Moscow to go to Kiev.
“It is wrong to go first to Russia and then to Ukraine. There is no justice or logic in that order,” Zelensky told a press conference at a metro station in central Kiev.