Paraguay's
Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano had a busy week in Montreal, Canada,
where he participated in the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of
the Ukraine Peace Formula and met with British Foreign Office Director General
for Latin America Harriet Matthews on the event's sidelines, among other
engagements.
Ramírez discussed with Matthews
on Thursday 31 Oct Asunción's intentions to strengthen bilateral ties. Both
officials highlighted the common values of the defense of democracy, respect
for human rights, and the rule of law.
According to a statement from
Paraguay's Foreign Ministry, Matthews
showed interest in the position taken by Paraguay regarding the Middle East
crisis given the upcoming opening of the Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem before
the end of this year while Ramírez underscored the importance of this step in
boosting the relationship with Israel.
The Foreign Office's official
congratulated the government of President Santiago Peña for the recent
investment grade granted by Moody's and highlighted the business opportunities
Paraguay offered especially its sustainable environmental policies. At the Foreign Ministers convention on
Friday, Ramírez called for a peaceful and acceptable solution to the Ukrainian
conflict and urged the international community to double down its efforts to
find a way out of the confrontation so that the parties can reach a sustainable
and mutually acceptable agreement.
“Paraguay, as a member of the United
Nations, has been committed to preserve, since the founding of this
Organization, international peace and security, understanding that the
prosperity and development of humanity depend on the scourge of war not being
repeated,” he said.
He also pointed out that the
humanitarian consequences for the civilian population were brutal, even affecting
future generations. “Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes,
becoming international refugees or internally displaced persons, and millions
of children have been deprived of their most basic human rights,” he added. During the meeting, ministers from 45
countries discussed the situation in Ukraine and its consequences. The
conference concluded with a declaration to repatriate civilians, prisoners of
war, and children captured by Russia.