The effective movement of the African initiative coincided with Putin’s statements about the possibility of establishing a “safe zone” inside Ukrainian territories. Is it close to reaching an agenda around which the negotiations to end the crisis are opening?
initiative from a neutral organization
The African initiative is an initiative taken by the African continent for a preliminary settlement of the current conflict between Moscow and Kiev. The initiative is carried by the leaders of 6 African countries: Egypt, South Africa, Comoros, the current chairman of the African Union. , Senegal, Zambia and Uganda.
Russian scholar of Peoples’ Friendship University in Moscow, Dmitry Briga, expected the initiative to succeed, or at least to shift the static waters around the negotiation after several parties rejected or held back from it. the latest Chinese initiative.
Dmitry Brigae explained, in an interview with Sky News Arabia, several factors that strengthen the position of the African initiative, whether vis-à-vis the Russian or Ukrainian side, namely:
Since the beginning of the crisis, African countries have adopted a neutral position. Africa began to become truly independent from Western and American hegemony. Its difference with the Chinese initiative, on which the West has reservations because of the Russian-Chinese rapprochement.
different concept
Brigae points out another difference between the current African initiative and the previous Chinese initiative in terms of concept. Beijing was seeking a broad and all-encompassing solution to the crisis, which is difficult to achieve in light of the currently raging conflict. the initiative aims for a principled ceasefire and hands-on negotiation.
The Russian academic from the University “Friendship of Peoples” in Moscow confirmed that African countries are among the countries that have suffered the most because of the current conflict, and therefore the interest of these countries is to stop the noise fire and sit down to negotiate to end an economic crisis looming on the horizon due to the protracted conflict.
In this context, media sources revealed that the African Peace Initiative launched by South Africa last May includes a set of “confidence-building measures” and could include:
Withdrawal of Russian forces and tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus. Suspension of the arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Easing of sanctions imposed by the West on Russia. Create an atmosphere that will allow both parties to build their peacemaking strategies.
Ukrainian welcome
The African delegation to Ukraine and Russia is led by Senegalese Presidents Macky Sall and South African Cyril Ramaphosa, and also includes the Presidents of Zambia and Comoros and the Prime Minister of Egypt.
Regarding this initiative, Matyushin Victor, specialist in the resolution of international conflicts at the Ukrainian University of Tavrisky, describes it as the most acceptable and the most balanced in the light of the initiatives that have been put forward, whether of China, Brazil, Indonesia or other attempts to reach a negotiation.
And Matyushin Victor added, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, that everyone is currently losing from the protracted war and continuous losses, especially in Ukraine’s infrastructure, which will take decades to rebuild.
And Matyushin Victor confirms that Kyiv is not opposed to sitting down at the negotiating table, but under certain conditions that guarantee the withdrawal of the lands it has annexed.
And Ukraine has announced in previous positions that Russian forces must withdraw from its lands before any talks begin, while Moscow wants Kiev to recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula, which it has annexed to the Ukraine in 2014, as a prerequisite for negotiations, and Africa is counting on the realization of the hopes of reaching negotiations from this initiative, because the brown continent has suffered multiple damages due to the increase in grain prices and energy, as it is one of the biggest importers of cereals from the two countries in conflict.
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