On November 26, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa took part in the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (Cascais, Portugal), a multilateral initiative that has been promoting international intercultural and interreligious dialogue for two decades since its inception.

In her address at the high-level segment of the event, Mariana Betsa informed the Forum’s participants on the disastrous consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine. She particularly emphasized the need for an appropriate response from the international community while dealing with Russia's steps to escalate the war by involving the DPRK military and using a new type of ballistic missiles. She also called on the international community to support the Peace Formula and the Victory Plan of Ukraine.

The Deputy Minister also underlined that the aggressor's destruction of more than 630 religious buildings in Ukraine and the persecution of priests and religious leaders by the Russian occupiers indicate the scale of its war crimes and systemic violations of human rights and freedoms in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. “These acts of violence and erasure of Ukrainian identity go counter the values of peace, dialogue, and mutual respect that this Alliance has championed for 20 years,” emphasized Mariana Betsa.

The role of Russian religious entities in encouraging aggression against Ukraine was also highlighted. “The Russian Federation has weaponized religion, turning the Russian Orthodox Church into a tool of war and an accomplice to its aggression. Such actions undermine not only the moral and ethical foundations of religion and tarnish the sanctity of spiritual institutions worldwide, but also violate international freedom of religion standards” the Deputy Minister added.

Mariana Betsa emphasized that Ukraine remains steadfast in its commitment to universal values and will continue to fight for its freedom.

The event was attended by more than two thousand delegates from the member states of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations (160 countries, including Ukraine), religious leaders, heads of international organizations, representatives of the private sector, civil society and academia.