National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says she remains optimistic that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Task Force will find urgent and lasting solutions to the current conflict in Ukraine.
The Task Force was established to find peaceful solutions to the raging conflict between Ukraine and Russia through parliamentary diplomacy.
Mapisa-Nqakula says the IPU’s efforts are another demonstration of growing parliamentary diplomacy globally.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February and the Kremlin has since been slapped with multiple sanctions.
Mapisa-Nqakula says the war in Ukraine has caused untold suffering not just in Ukraine but across the world.
This has seen supplies of household necessities and food and energy prices shooting up.
She has expressed hope that the IPU efforts will help narrow the gap between Russia and Ukraine, secure the end of the conflict and build a more enabling environment for engagement and lasting peace.
Mapisa-Nqakula further says the world parliamentary body had to act as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) missed the opportunity to intervene.
Meanwhile earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for more voices at the UNSC to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
More details in the report below:
