2023-05-16 19:37:40
He Council of Europea macro-organization somewhat displaced from the international agenda, opened this Tuesday the fourth summit of its 70-year historyin the remote and strategic Iceland and with Ukraine as the engine of its activation.
The mainstay of the Reykjavik agenda is the creation of a “record” of war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. “The accountability it is a prerequisite for peace,” said von der Leyen upon his arrival in the Icelandic capital, at a press conference with the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrina Jakobsdóttir.
It is an objective that is as ambitious as it is ambiguous, but one that fits into the raison d’être of the Council of Europe: the defense of the human rights and the promotion of democracy, or the denunciation of the states that violate them. Their resolutions or sentences are not always taken into account by their own subscribing states, as has repeatedly happened with Türkiyebut also with United Kingdom.
The registration of war crimes committed by Russia is a bet for the future for the Council. There should be reflected both their responsible like their victims for future accountability, in accordance with the purposes expressed by Iceland.
strategic country
Prior to the arrival of the leaders, the General Secretary of the Council, Marija Pejcinovic BuricHe had called it “vital” that Russia be held responsible for the “death” and “destruction” caused by the invasion.
The Council of Europe had not convened a meeting between its leaders for almost 20 years – the last time was in 2005, in Warsaw. Now it has moved to Reykjavik the leaders – or high-level representatives, such as the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares – of its 46 member states, including the 27 partners of the European Union (EU). Russia was excluded last year following the start of the invasion, which the Council condemned as a “aggressive war“.
The fact that the summit is being held in Iceland – a member of NATO, but not of the EU – gives it special relevance. It is the most remote European country geographically, but highly strategic in political, energy and economic terms. In the struggle for mastery of Arctic they have disputed it as a preferred partner both USA as China or, until the Ukrainian war, for Russia.
Preamble del G7
The meeting in the Icelandic capital was attended by the French president, Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni; the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen. That is, several of the leaders with whom the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, has met during his recent European tour.
It also has a certain character of a preamble to that of the G7, which this week will gather in Hiroshima those of the seven powers –United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germanyin addition to Japanwho exercises his presidency on duty-.
#Ukraine #revives #dormant #Council #Europe #strategic #Iceland