Peace summit: Media estimate number of attending Southeast Asian countries
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Switzerland and Ukraine have invited 160 countries to the Peace Summit, but only 106 have so far confirmed their participation, according to Fulcrum.
Four Southeast Asian countries have confirmed their participation in the Global Peace Summit: Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
Timor-Leste's participation is not surprising, given that in 1975 it was occupied by Indonesia, and current President José Ramos-Horta led the diplomatic process to withdraw Indonesian troops from the country.
The Philippines' participation in the peace summit was a given, due to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s sharp criticism of Russia and his administration's closer ties with the United States.
Singapore, which has taken the most principled stance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is also expected to participate. It is the only regional state to have imposed unilateral sanctions against the aggressor.
Thailand has also agreed to Switzerland's invitation, despite the country's neutral stance on the war. The country will be represented at the conference by Deputy Foreign Minister Russ Jalichandra.
Indonesia has not yet confirmed its participation in the conference but is almost certain to attend.
The participation of three countries can be excluded, namely Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos.
Whether Malaysia will send a delegation to Switzerland remains unclear. Malaysia considers the conflict between Israel and Hamas to be much more of a priority than Russia's war against Ukraine. However, Malaysia might not want to be left out if its closest neighbors participate in the conference.
Brunei is still deliberating on the invitation. Meanwhile, it is still unknown whether Cambodia will participate in the summit.
Peace summit
Next week, Switzerland will host the Global Peace Summit, which representatives from over 150 countries will attend. They will discuss the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At the same time, Russia, which is the aggressor and initiator of the war against Ukraine, has not been invited to the summit. The event organizers believe that the presence of Russian representatives would negatively impact the search for solutions and hinder the achievement of peace goals.
On the eve of the summit, Singapore confirmed its participation.
