ANKARA

In its first gathering at New York, "Friends of Peace" group called for an immediate end to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira on Friday, was attended by top diplomats and representatives from 17 "Global South" countries, including Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico and Zambia, a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Speaking to the gathering, Wang Yi said that the purpose of this gathering is to seek peace as Ukrainian crisis has entered its third year.

"The flames of war are still spreading, the risk of spillover is increasing, the dawn of peace has not yet appeared, and the development of the situation is worrying," he said.

The top Chinese diplomat said that Brazil, China, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Türkiye and other countries, as partners of the Global South, committed to the political solution of the Ukrainian crisis, and agreed to launch the "Friends of Peace" initiative on the Ukrainian crisis on the UN platform.

Friends of Peace is not about taking sides in the conflict, or replacing the existing platforms, he explained, adding they will gather more countries to raise voice and create an atmosphere for a cease-fire and restart peace talks.

On Thursday, China and Brazil agreed to form a “Friend of Peace” platform to work towards ending war in Ukraine that began in February 2022.

The agreement came during a meeting between Wang Yi and Brazilian president’s chief adviser Celso Amorim on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.

The two countries issued a six-point consensus, calling on all parties concerned to de-escalate, create conditions for direct talks until the realization of a cease-fire, increase humanitarian assistance, oppose use of weapons of mass destruction, oppose attacks on nuclear power plants and other peaceful nuclear facilities, and protect the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid