Russia will participate in the Conference of the Oceans to be held in Lisbon between June 27 and July 1, reported the Spanish agency Efe from Russian diplomatic sources.
Sources from the diplomatic representation of the Russian Federation in Lisbon pointed out that the country “attaches importance to the issue” and that it will “participate”, without specifying at what level, which will have to be defined by the tutelage of Russian diplomacy.
Some twenty Heads of State and Government have already confirmed that they will be in Lisbon for the second conference promoted by the United Nations focused on the oceans.
The Lusa agency contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm the presence of the Russian Federation, but is still awaiting a response.
The vice president of the organizing committee, Alexandre Leitão, had said on Monday in a meeting with journalists that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had so far not had a visible impact on the holding of the conference, indicating that in the four weeks until the celebration At the beginning there was a lot of time for the countries to organize their participation.
Asked if it would be possible to leave space for the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to intervene in the conference remotely from the Ukrainian capital, if he expresses his wish, Alexandre Leitão stressed that the conference is face-to-face and that “who is speaking”. , pointing out that the last word would always be with the United Nations, whose members have the right to participate without reservation.
Delegations from 193 countries will participate in the meeting postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, which will address threats to the oceans, such as loss of oxygenation and consequent acidification, which destroys biodiversity, marine pollution and forms of “blue economy” that They allow the exploitation of resources without depleting them.
Source: Observadora
