"The Peace Conference set for June
15 and 16 in Lucerne has turned into an occasion for diplomatic
confrontation, from which Russia and Ukraine seek to profit and
position themselves. Despite the efforts, often under wraps, of
the President of the Helvetic Confederation Viola Amherd, the
conference seems to be facing an uphill climb." That is what
Arduino Paniccia, professor of strategic studies and President
of Asce, School of Economic Warfare and International
Competition in Venice, said on the sidelines of an academic
meeting held in Udine about the Peace Conference opening in
Switzerland today.
The expert, after pointing out that "Putin, uninvited, again
branded the conference as useless," while Zelensky, in close
contact with the Swiss authorities, "failed to secure the
important presence of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who
unceremoniously marched out," pointed out that "the Eurasian
bloc appears, even on this occasion, cohesive in not
participating, while Biden's hesitations seem to confirm rumors
of a rift within the NATO front, first of all motivated by the
reluctance of many alliance members to attack bases and
positions within the Russian Federation."
According to Paniccia, "the most positive note of the affair
appears, however, to be the fact that among the at least 70
countries that have given membership are all Europeans and,
therefore, it will be a first official attempt to find a
mediation that is not just the result of individual initiatives
such as those of Erdogan." This potential for European mediation
adds a significant dimension to the conference.
"In essence," the expert concludes, "although enlarged, the
conference is being pushed and supported by Europe, which has
understood that it is crossed by a new frontier between East and
West, between democracies and autocracies, which also involves
it at the forefront on the future of security and defense, which
remained suspended after the fall of the Berlin wall."
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