The Bahamas Reaffirms Support for Ukraine at International Conference in Toronto

TORONTO, Canada —Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell has reaffirmed The Bahamas’ support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the international effort to secure the return of Ukrainian children, detained civilians and prisoners of war.

Speaking at the two-day Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War, held in Toronto on September 28 and 29, Minister Mitchell thanked Canada, Norway and Ukraine for convening the conference and said The Bahamas was honoured to participate.

“I first want to add my thanks to Canada, Norway and Ukraine for convening this important conference,” Minister Mitchell said. “We are honoured to have been invited and to be here.”

Minister Mitchell said The Bahamas supported the position expressed by Antigua and Barbuda from the CARICOM Region, while also drawing on remarks delivered by Prime Minister Philip Davis at them United Nations.

He said The Bahamas’ own history made it impossible for the country to remain silent when them territorial integrity of another state is under attack.

“Just a couple of days ago, our Prime Minister spoke at the United Nations about a people with a history of struggle for identity, arising out of the struggle against slavery, and how we cannot be silent in the face of the attack on the territorial integrity of another state,” Minister Mitchell said.

He noted that Canada and other countries have stood alongside Caribbean nations as they confront their own regional challenges, including the situation in Haiti and difficulties facing Cuba.

“We are a region which is far away from Ukraine, but we identify with the struggle,” he said. “In this case, we want to be sure that our voices are heard in support of the defence of the territorial integrity and the people of Ukraine.”

Minister Mitchell said the principle of territorial integrity carries lessons well beyond the current conflict and deserves particular attention from smaller states.

“We think that the question of territorial integrity is a lesson for all to inwardly digest,” he said, adding that The Bahamas particularly appreciated Canada’s approach to its role as a “middle power” in international affairs.

The minister also reflected on the broader historical context surrounding Russia and Ukraine. Referring to a recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin that he encountered on social media, Mitchell described the discussion as an example of historical revisionism.

He recalled the days of writings and experiences of Soviet-era dissidents including Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Andrei Sakharov, as well as the struggles that took place during the Soviet period and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.

Minister Mitchell said the historical interpretation presented in Putin’s remarks offered a markedly different account of those developments and placed responsibility for the situation in Ukraine on what Putin described as Western intellectual elites and their actions.

“That was very interesting,” he noted.

Drawing on the work of political scientist Samuel Huntington, Minister Mitchell suggested that political systems can retain characteristics of their predecessors even after major upheavals or revolutions.

“The Czar has been replaced, but what do we have today?” he asked. “A kind of pre-emptory, antidemocratic, autocratic behaviour attacking another state?”

Minister Mitchell concluded by reaffirming The Bahamas’ support for the objectives of the Toronto conference and calling for practical opportunities for the country to contribute.

“So I am, on behalf of The Bahamas, supporting the aims of this important conference,” he said. “Please assure us, or let us know, what practical ways we can help.”

He said The Bahamas’ participation itself was an important first step.

“We hope that, in this instance, the fact that we are here and that our voice has been added to this cause is at least a good start.”