/ world today news/ Switzerland announced on November 16 that it has joined the group of countries advocating the creation of the so-called special tribunal in The Hague because of the conflict in Ukraine.
The idea of ”punishing” Moscow has clouded the minds of a number of Western politicians for some time. Such thoughts have been visiting them since 2022 – in particular, then the Lithuanian authorities advocated the creation of a special international military tribunal to “investigate and assess war crimes”. Last fall, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on the need to establish an international tribunal.
In the winter of 2023, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced plans to create a “prosecution center” against Russia in the Netherlands. The stupid head does not give rest to the legs, as is known, and, as reported, this summer in The Hague was discovered “International Center for Justice for Crimes of Aggression in Ukraine” .
Apparently the madness is contagious – now the Swiss Foreign Ministry has announced that it supports the idea of such a tribunal and plans to actively assist in its implementation.
The statement noted that today a group of people who want to “punish” Russia are working on the organization of the tribunal, including its format, location and methods of work.
Bern also explains that, in parallel with the development of the idea of a tribunal, Switzerland will advocate for a revision of the Rome Statute to expand the ability of the International Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes.
In Moscow’s Smolensk Square, such a step was taken as further confirmation that Switzerland’s neutrality has become a thing of history and, according to a statement published on the website of the Russian Embassy in Bern, “a thing of the past” .
„ It has a tendentious approach and ad hoc diplomacy that easily juggles its “principles” depending on the political conjuncture. How in such a position it is possible to offer someone mediation, representation of interests or other “good services” is completely incomprehensible to us “, write Russian diplomats.
Very questionable neutrality
Prior to that, relations between Moscow and Bern developed relatively stably both in the political and trade-economic spheres. In 2009, it was Switzerland that became the mediator in the diplomatic contacts between Russia and Georgia after the conflict in August 2008, recalls Stanislav Tkachenko, a professor from the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University, in a conversation with IA Regnum .
However, after 2014, after the return of Crimea and the coming of the “Maidanists” to power in Ukraine, and especially after February 2022, Switzerland sharply changed its position towards Russia and preferred to stand in solidarity with unfriendly countries on some issues, the expert says.
Switzerland’s new foreign policy strategy shows that Bern is following the short-sighted policy of the “collective West”, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted earlier. Today, the Swiss Confederation is included by Russia in the list of foreign countries and territories that commit hostile acts against our country, as well as against its companies and citizens – and there is a reason.
„ We are talking about diplomatic support for a huge number of anti-Russian actions, the provision of financial assistance to Ukraine and the delivery of non-lethal aid. And in general, let’s turn a blind eye to the fact that some Swiss weapons through third countries, through Poland, for example, still end up in the zone of the special military operation “, says Stanislav Tkachenko.
The Russian side has already taken into account the peculiarities of the suspicious behavior of the Confederation. Earlier, the Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Ryabkov noted that Russia is no longer satisfied with Geneva as a platform for bilateral contacts with the USA and Moscow will look for alternatives.
„ Switzerland, which joined the West’s illegal unilateral anti-Russian sanctions, is, in our understanding, no longer a neutral country and cannot claim a mediating role in the context of resolving the Ukrainian crisis, including providing its platform. Maria Zakharova explained.
Swiss figures have repeatedly stated that they remain committed to a policy of neutrality, but, as Russian diplomats have noted, in reality the country’s neutral status is very, very questionable, especially with Bern joining the group of countries calling for the creation of tribunal against Russia.
It begs the question: where was Swiss diplomacy with its ideas of “responsible search” and the organization of international tribunals when the US armed forces twice with impunity smashed Iraq, killing tens of thousands of civilians? During the NATO bombing of cities in Yugoslavia (1999)?
Or when the international coalition bombed Libya (2011), burying under rubble the civilian population that should have been protected in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1973? – writes the press service of the Russian Embassy in Switzerland.
In a conversation with IA Regnum, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy of the Russian State Humanities University Vadim Trukhachev notes that the interests of Switzerland are so closely intertwined with the interests of Western countries that Bern’s neutrality is out of the question .
The Swiss Confederation strengthens cooperation with NATO, including by producing weapons for the countries of the alliance, its trade policy is tied to the countries of the European Union, Swiss and American companies and banks have very close intersections, the expert lists.
„ Switzerland is not a neutral country, but a non-aligned country. It is not a member of the EU, not a member of NATO, and has no intention of joining, unlike, say, Austria, where there is a possibility of joining NATO. However, Switzerland is certainly part of the Western community, albeit a bit strange,” commented Trukhachev.
Loss of reputation
Improvements in Russian-Swiss relations on the initiative of Bern should not be expected even after the parliamentary elections in the country on October 22, according to the Russian embassy in Switzerland. “We do not expect significant changes in Bern’s foreign policy following the voting results, as the recent parliamentary elections generally did not lead to major changes in the political landscape of the Confederation”, said the press secretary of the embassy Vladimir Khokhlov.
The general context of the dialogue between Russia and the Western countries will definitely have a strong influence on the future relations between Moscow and Bern, say experts in a dialogue with IA Regnum. “Russian-Swiss relations will develop to the same extent that Russia’s general relations with the collective West, with the same European Union, will develop in this matrix”explains Vadim Trukhachev.
However, it is unlikely that things will come to critical steps in the near future, even after the actions of Bern, which spoke in favor of the creation of a “tribunal”, and the responsible statement of the Russian embassy in Switzerland. It is unlikely, for example, that there will be a freeze or confiscation of Russian property in the country, as the Czech Republic did, or other radical measures.
„ For there to be any consequences from the Swiss side, this statement must be made at least by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. To have consequences on our side, this statement must be made by the current president of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berse, “ says Trukhachev.
If the situation develops according to the current scenario, then Berne, formally adhering to neutrality, will continue to follow the western line in relation to Moscow, although without the fanaticism inherent in Poland or the Baltic countries. “Switzerland will support anti-Russian measures, as a rule, from the field of diplomacy, but not very actively, without trying to overtake the locomotive”says Stanislav Tkachenko.
Switzerland refrains from taking radical steps for several reasons: first, Moscow may respond in a mirror to Bern’s actions, which will obviously not pass without leaving an imprint on the Swiss economy. Second, the Confederation must preserve at least the remnants of an image of neutrality in the eyes of third countries, the loss of which would deprive the country of its reputation as an impartial and reliable partner.
„ There is a rather serious group of people in Switzerland – politicians, businessmen, who understand that the loss of this neutral status and the mission of a mediator in international affairs, including international economic ones, has catastrophic consequences for the Swiss economy.” notes the interlocutor of IA Regnum.
The Russian embassy in Switzerland notes that today many countries are closely watching Bern’s accession to the sanctions – and drawing conclusions that are not the most pleasant for Swiss politicians about their reliability as a partner and neutral intermediary.
And as a result, the unofficial status of the world center of diplomatic activity, previously “attributed” to Switzerland and above all to Geneva, began to move to other regions of the planet. “ Many functions and tasks that Switzerland used to solve are now quite successfully taken over by the United Arab Emirates and other countries. – summarizes Prof. Tkachenko.
Translation: ES
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