Three Former Greek Ambassadors Issue Peace Proposal for Ukraine

Three senior former Ambassadors from the Hellenic Repubic issued a peace proposal on March 31, addressing the current Ukrainian crisis in an effort to avert the “threat of hunger and nuclear annihilation”. Their statement notes that “What has been happening the last month in Ukraine is inconceivable for us and for reasonable people. We thought that the old ‘Westphalian’ world having experienced an ‘age of the extremes’ had learned its lesson and realized that the path to a durable peace and prosperity is not through a ‘clash of civilizations,’but rather through globalization of values, markets and finance. Modern statehood has not yet arrived at ‘the end of history,’ but rather has to face contemporary challenges such as economic inequality, ethnic and religious differences in other continents, climate change and the pandemic, in a spirit of friendship and cooperation…

“On February 24th, we abandoned the utopia of a peaceful normality and found ourselves in a world ‘sleepwalking’ toward war. Once again, we became witnesses of violence as Russia attacked Ukraine; fire and steel were again the main instruments for solving differences among states, whereas reason would provide a just and lasting solution….”

Asserting that it is not to late to act, they call for negotiations on two levels. First, between Russia and Ukraine, which should deal with the withdrawal of Russian armed forces from Ukraine as well as territorial disputes, and the resolution of the many bilateral issues. They also propose that a ceasefire be guaranteed by military observers from member-states of the OSCE, that do not belong to NATO.

A second level would involve negotiations between NATO and Russia with a view to establish cooperation and indivisible security. Among the measures proposed are to restore the NATO-Russia Council, prohibit the use of nuclear weapons, restrict use of land based intermediate or long-range missiles,agree to the non-expansion of NATO and lift all sanctions once an agreement between Russia and Ukraine is reached. They also call for a further rapprochment between Ukraine and the EU.

The signatories are Ambassador ad honorem Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, former Ambassador to Poland, Canada, Armenia and Secretary General Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization prior to his retirement in 2012, who is currently a member of the Schiller Institute; Alexandros K. Katranis former Ambassador to Kazakhstan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Nikos D. Kanellos,former Ambassador to Slovakia, Azerbaijan and Vietnam.