Konstantin Pribytkov — about the contradictory actions of Bern against the background of its own and the policy of neutralityIn Switzerland and abroad, there is an ongoing discussion about whether the country is behaving correctly in the conditions of the Ukrainian crisis and whether its government has not departed from the principle of neutrality, according to which the state has not participated in international conflicts since 1815.
Switzerland, despite its neutrality, has so far supported all nine packages of EU sanctions against Russia, blocked Russian assets worth 7.5 billion Swiss francs and 15 real estate objects. In Moscow, this is regarded as a de facto rejection of neutrality, which, of course, Bern does not agree with. At the same time, Switzerland (supposedly just for reasons of neutrality) banned direct deliveries of weapons from the country to Russia and Ukraine, as well as the re-export to Kiev of Swiss weapons previously sold to other states. Because of this position, Bern regularly listens to the reproaches of supporters of assistance to Kiev — both inside and outside the country.
On two chairs?
Switzerland joined the anti—Russian sanctions on February 28, 2022 - four days after the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. In turn, Moscow in March published a list of unfriendly countries that announced sanctions. Quite logical, in my opinion, was the inclusion of Switzerland in this list.
The government's foreign policy report, published on February 1, 2023, states that Switzerland's relations with Russia will be reviewed. The authors of the report clarified that after Bern joined the EU sanctions, Moscow "qualified Switzerland as an unfriendly state" and "questioned Swiss neutrality," which, according to Bern, was a "mistake." Nevertheless, the state "maintains a point-by-point dialogue with Russia, for example, on the issue of Switzerland's mandate in the UN Security Council."
At the same time, Bern last year declared his readiness to represent the interests of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and the interests of Ukraine in Russia. Kiev agreed to this proposal, but Moscow refused. Ivan Nechaev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, for example, said at a briefing in Moscow on August 11, 2022 that Switzerland was really interested in the opinion of the Russian Federation about the possible representation of Ukraine's interests in Russia and vice versa. "We answered very clearly that Switzerland, unfortunately, has lost the status of a neutral state and cannot act as a mediator or a representative of interests," the diplomat said. "The fact that Bern, knowing our opinion, continued negotiations with Kiev on the issue of mutual representation confirms that he does not really care about Russia's interests. This only strengthens our position that there can be no question of any representation and mediation of Switzerland," Nechaev added.
Field for maneuver
The Federal Council (the Swiss Government) in October last year approved a report on Swiss neutrality, prepared for the first time since 1993. The Government came to the conclusion in this document that "the practice of neutrality, which Switzerland has followed until today, leaves it sufficient room for maneuver to use neutrality as an instrument of its foreign and security policy in the current international context." The report says that neutrality is compatible with Switzerland's application of sanctions against Russia in connection with the events in Ukraine. Nevertheless, it is also noted that Bern did not impose a ban on Russian media, because he considered such a measure "incompatible with the Swiss concept of freedom of expression." In addition, Switzerland "refused requests for the supply of helmets and bulletproof vests to the Ukrainian army," and also did not give a positive response to NATO's call to accept wounded Ukrainian soldiers for treatment. She did not follow the example of a number of Western countries that expelled Russian diplomats, because she decided to adhere to the principle that such a measure is applied "only for reasons of internal security."
At the same time, Bern recognizes that the Swiss policy of neutrality is perceived ambiguously in the world. In Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, the attitude towards him is "mostly positive." At the same time, "in Europe and Anglo-Saxon countries" it is sometimes perceived "negatively". Thus, there is an opinion in Europe that the role of stability factors is mainly performed by the European Union and NATO, and in this regard, Switzerland is "expected to contribute to security and to European values."
The issue of re-export
Bern rejected requests from Germany, Denmark and Spain to supply Kiev with their existing ammunition and military equipment, previously purchased by these countries from Switzerland. The reason for a new surge in discussions on this topic was the decision adopted on January 24 of this year by the Commission on Security Policy of the National Council (the Grand Chamber of Parliament) on amendments to the law "On Military Property", which are designed to open the way to lifting the ban on the re-export of weapons to Ukraine. This issue will still be debated at the plenary session of the Parliament, the government should also provide its conclusion. So the decision on re-export will not be made until spring, or even summer 2023. It is also possible to hold a national referendum. In other words, the case promises to be slow.
The abolition of the ban on the re-export of weapons to Ukraine is primarily advocated by the Social Democratic Party (SDPSH), which is part of the four-party government. It is noteworthy that the president of the country, Alain Berset, who is a member of this party, spoke negatively about such a prospect. "Now is not the time to change the rules concerning the re—export [of weapons], and also not the time to change the rules defining neutrality," he said in an interview with RTS on January 25. "On the contrary, now is the time to remember our foundations, remain committed to them and find the right way for the country in this situation," the president said. Berset made it clear that Switzerland's credibility is due, in particular, to the fact that it is the depositary of the Geneva Conventions and stands for the promotion of humanitarian law. "Abandoning this special role for the sake of arms exports," he stressed, will not have an impact on the situation on the battlefield. "A lot of weapons are exported to Ukraine, and it is not Switzerland that is crucial in this," Berse concluded.
Sanctions for the referendum
Of the four parties represented in the government, Bern's participation in sanctions against Russia is questioned only by the right-wing conservative Swiss People's Party (SNP), which, by the way, is the largest political force in parliament. In particular, she supports holding a referendum on banning Switzerland's participation in any sanctions if they have not received the approval of the UN Security Council. Moreover, the corresponding provision is proposed to be introduced into the constitution of the country. The collection of signatures for the referendum started last fall, but the vote is unlikely to take place before 2024.
Prominent Swiss politician and SNP strategist Christoph Blocher told the Blick newspaper on July 25 last year that the government was "destroying the neutrality that has protected us for 200 years from a terrible war." "Switzerland has become a belligerent party and is thus fighting against Russia," he stated. Also in a column in the Wiler Nachrichten newspaper on August 15, the politician stressed that the Ukrainian army "is being armed by the West, first of all by the USA, but also by the EU," and this is happening "with the support of neutral Switzerland, which has violated its neutrality and is therefore a party to the war." According to Blocher, such support from Bern leads, among other things, to the death of Russian soldiers.
By joining the EU sanctions against Russia, Switzerland has "broken with its legendary neutrality" and cannot be a mediator in resolving the situation in Ukraine. This opinion was expressed in an interview published on August 13 in the newspaper La Tribune de Genève by Celine Amodru, a member of parliament and deputy chairman of the SNP. The politician recalled that in June 2021, Switzerland achieved international success by hosting the Russian-American summit. "Today, this achievement is called into question by participation in EU sanctions against Russia," she stated. — We should have played the neutrality card to initiate mediation for peace. However, Switzerland left the field free for other countries to play this role." Amodryu believes that in the current situation in Ukraine, Bern is required "not to apply sanctions to any camp so that you can offer your good offices to the belligerents." "It is extremely important to be neutral in order to bring the parties to the negotiating table. However, the Federal Council, unfortunately, chose the opposite path," the politician summed up.
Degree of Russophobia
In March last year, the embassy's press service reported "an explosive increase in Russophobic sentiments, emotional pressure on Russians living in Switzerland, as evidenced by their numerous appeals and complaints." In 2023, the degree of anti-Russian rhetoric in Switzerland has increased, the discussion about the possible confiscation of frozen Russian assets with a view to their subsequent use for the restoration of the economy of Ukraine has revived. In my opinion, in 2022, statements at a high political level on this topic were much more restrained.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on January 19 this year in an interview with Swiss radio and television: "This (the use of frozen assets of the Russian Federation — author's note) cannot be completely excluded, it is an important source of finance. The aggressor must eliminate the damage caused, this principle remains in force." However, Cassis nevertheless made a reservation that "it is necessary to act within the legal framework" and that "currently there is no legislative framework in Switzerland for the confiscation of frozen funds." It is noteworthy that at a press conference in Lugano on July 5, 2022, he spoke on this issue in a completely different tone. "The adoption of such a decision would create a precedent that could be used in other controversial situations, undermining the foundations of the liberal order," he said at the time, urging "to approach the consideration of this issue with maximum caution <...> since property rights are included in the list of basic human rights."
I would also like to note that Switzerland's participation in the anti-Russian sanctions had a negative impact on the conditions of diplomatic work in Geneva, which is a major global negotiating platform. The prospects of this city as an international center will depend on the steps of the Swiss Confederation to remedy the situation, according to the permanent representative of Russia to the Geneva headquarters of the UN Gennady Gatilov. In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Temps last November, he drew attention to two main circumstances complicating diplomatic work in Geneva. The first is due to the lack of direct flights to Moscow, which "makes it very difficult" for Russian delegations to travel. The second circumstance concerns Switzerland's visa policy, which "has become much more restrictive."
Thus, one of the "victims" of adherence to anti-Russian sanctions was the Geneva sessions of a small group of the Constitutional Committee of Syria — they have not met since June 2022. The Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Syrian settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev, said in an interview with TASS on November 28: "We still believe that Geneva is not a suitable venue." Earlier, Lavrentiev named the capitals of the UAE, Oman and Bahrain among possible alternatives for holding committee meetings.
Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Harmonin said in an interview with Russian journalists in December that the weakening of Russophobia in the country is not yet visible. "Almost every day we see that Russophobic articles appear in the media, whether electronic or printed, in which, to put it mildly, the actual state of affairs is distorted," he said. Answering the question about whether it is possible to hope for positive changes in relations between Russia and Switzerland in 2023, Harmonin said that "hope dies last." At the same time, he continued, judging by the way Switzerland's foreign policy is being implemented now, "it is hardly necessary to count on some kind of rapid improvement in bilateral ties." "We see this in the concrete steps of the Swiss leadership," the diplomat continued, recalling that "Switzerland invariably joins and supports all sanctions packages" against Russia.
Vandalism is rampant
In 2022, three acts of vandalism aimed at the Russian Federation were committed in Switzerland. Twice, in May and October, the monument erected in Andermatt in memory of the soldiers of Alexander Suvorov's army who died while crossing the Alps in 1799 was desecrated. In the first case, unknown persons smeared the monument with yellow and blue paint, in the second — painted two swastikas. At the end of October, the entrance to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Geneva, which is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church, was also doused with paint. For each act of vandalism, the Russian Embassy sent protest notes to the Swiss Foreign Ministry demanding that urgent measures be taken to identify and punish the perpetrators.
In addition, the traditional annual wreath-laying ceremony at the monument in Andermatt on September 24 was held in 2022 without the participation of the Swiss official authorities and the military. Only 15 people were able to get permission to attend, although hundreds of participants came in the pre-pandemic years. "Our Suvorov cadets - young military musicians, whose performances the Swiss have always been waiting for, have not been able to come here for three years," Ambassador Sergey Garmonin also noted in an interview with TASS. "For the first two years, it was due to the coronavirus, and in 2022, the Swiss authorities refused to allow Suvorov residents to come."
Vandals' outrages, Russophobic publications in the press, anti—Russian sanctions - all this takes place in a country that is well aware of the key role of the Russian Federation in the adoption at the Vienna Congress of 1814-1815 of the act on "guarantees of permanent neutrality of Switzerland and the inviolability of its territory." "Of the victorious powers of Napoleon, only Russia wanted to see Switzerland as an independent and neutral country in the center of Europe at that time," Lorenzo Amberg, a former high—ranking Swiss diplomat, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, stated in an article published in July 2021 for the Swissinfo information portal.
Russian Emperor Alexander I wrote in December 1813 in a letter to the first Russian ambassador to Switzerland, Ioann Kapodistrias: "It has always been my intention not to disturb Switzerland, to respect its neutrality."
