By Thomas Röper*
(Opinion) Although Switzerland continues to contemplate itself a impartial state, it’s now not so. In Switzerland, too, robust transatlantic forces have gained the higher hand and made the nation, in impact, a part of the Western bloc.
Switzerland has lengthy been a impartial nation, which has given it many benefits in historical past. It efficiently stayed out of each world wars and even benefited from them.
The alpine nation’s neutrality has made it a venue for troublesome worldwide negotiations, most just lately, the Putin-Biden summit in the summertime of 2021.
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And Switzerland has been the house base for a lot of worldwide organizations due to its popularity as a impartial mediator, or no less than a impartial host, of adverse negotiations.
In latest years, Switzerland’s neutrality has more and more eroded.
The Swiss military mainly meets NATO requirements, and Switzerland has develop into so tied to no less than the EU by way of treaties that there may actually be no query of neutrality anymore.
The main Swiss media, from the Neue Züricher Zeitung to tabloid Blick, have lengthy since develop into drummers within the orchestra of the transatlantic media.
Switzerland used to stay impartial in worldwide conflicts – and even within the Cold War – however at present, issues are completely different.
Switzerland has joined the EU’s Russia sanctions, which took place primarily as a result of strain from the U.S. and have been deliberate lengthy earlier than Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, making Switzerland one more vassal of the U.S. within the meantime.
Now Switzerland has additionally joined the EU’s eighth sanctions package deal.
I’ll translate right here two messages from the Russian information company TASS about it.
The first message (solely obtainable in case your nation doesn’t block Russian web sites) is in regards to the new EU sanctions that Switzerland has joined, and the second message (solely obtainable in case your nation doesn’t block Russian web sites) exhibits how happy the USA is with Switzerland’s new function as a US vassal.
FIRST MESSAGE
Switzerland has adopted the EU and adopted the eighth package deal of sanctions in opposition to Russia.
The Federal Council’s determination took under consideration, amongst different issues, “an arms embargo that will be partially extended to Ukraine due to Swiss neutrality.”
Switzerland has adopted the eighth package deal of sanctions in opposition to Russia in reference to the navy operation in Ukraine after the EU.
The Swiss authorities, the Federal Council, on Wednesday introduced.
“On Nov. 23, the Federal Council adopted further sanctions against Russia. It thus joined the latest measures approved by the EU under the eighth sanctions package,” the assertion stated.
Bern recalled that the EU adopted “a series of measures against Russia” on Oct. 6.
The Swiss authorities, which isn’t an EU member, determined Nov. 23 to “adopt the measures of the eighth sanctions package, including the legal basis for imposing a price cap on Russian crude oil and oil products,” in addition to “restrictions on certain steel products” and items destined for the aerospace trade.
Several companies supplied to the Russian authorities and companies, together with IT, can even be banned.
In addition, in its determination on the eighth anti-Russian sanctions package deal, the Federal Council “provided for an arms embargo, which will be partially extended to Ukraine due to Swiss neutrality.”
Until now, the ban on the provision of arms to the Russian Federation has been regulated by Switzerland “largely based on existing legislation on the control of military material and goods,” Bern defined.
Now, nevertheless, the arms embargo in opposition to Russia is instantly enshrined in a authorities decree associated to the scenario in Ukraine.
The authorities additionally stated it had determined to regulate its earlier decree on commerce in fertilizers.
This will enable buying sure varieties of fertilizers, supplied that this product is destined for third nations.”
“This decision is based on the fact that Switzerland attaches particular importance to the global trade in fertilizers,” the Federal Council stated.
Switzerland has already supported all different EU sanctions packages in opposition to Russia, which have been promulgated in reference to Russia’s navy operation in Ukraine.
The Russian authorities in March adopted a listing of hostile international states and territories to Russia, its companies, and its residents.
The Swiss Confederation is included in that checklist.
SECOND MESSAGE
U.S. ambassador praises Switzerland for swift adoption of sanctions in opposition to Russia
Scott Miller stated the Swiss authorities didn’t initially intend to impose complete anti-Russian sanctions however needed to restrict itself to the measures it adopted after Crimea’s reunification with Russia in 2014
The U.S. Ambassador to Bern, Scott Miller, has praised the Swiss authorities, the Federal Council, for the swift adoption of sanctions in opposition to Russia in reference to the navy operation in Ukraine, introduced in February.
In an interview with the RTS tv channel on Thursday, he stated that the Swiss authorities didn’t initially intend to impose complete anti-Russian sanctions however needed to restrict itself to the measures it adopted after Crimea’s reunification with Russia in 2014.
“I admire the speed with which the Federal Council recognized that it was necessary to adopt the sanctions in full,” RTS quoted Miller as saying on its web site.
The U.S. ambassador, who took workplace in Bern on Jan. 8 of this 12 months, stated within the interview that when he arrived in Switzerland, he briefed members of the Swiss authorities and others on U.S. intelligence info that Russia would conduct an operation in Ukraine.
“I told them that we intend to impose a series of sanctions that are unprecedented in scope and scale,” the diplomat stated.
Initially, the Federal Council assumed that it will comply with the identical coverage as after the occasions in Crimea in 2014 when Bern took “measures to prevent the circumvention of sanctions” however didn’t impose full sanctions, he continued.
“I think they [the Swiss government] finally heard the Swiss people,” Miller stated.
The ambassador stated he was current with the Ukrainian ambassador on the Federal Palace, the Swiss authorities, and the parliament seat when Switzerland took the choice to impose sanctions on Russia.
“Being present at the Federal Palace when these resolutions were adopted in the presence of my Ukrainian counterpart will remain one of my fondest memories of my current job as ambassador,” the top of the U.S. diplomatic mission stated.
Commenting on Switzerland’s refusal to produce arms to Kyiv and, specifically, its refusal to permit Germany to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, Miller stated, “I think the Swiss government will discuss with its arms industry about its future because countries that buy ammunition don’t want to have control over their ammunition in case of conflict.”
On Nov. 3, the Swiss authorities rejected Germany’s request to re-export ammunition for Gepard anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine.
Bern cited Switzerland’s impartial standing as an argument.
SANCTIONS
Switzerland, which has impartial standing and isn’t a member of the EU, is general following within the EU’s sanctions coverage rut.
On Feb. 28, 2022, Bern joined the EU sanctions in opposition to Moscow, which have been promulgated in reference to the navy operation in Ukraine.
Since then, Switzerland has applied all eight packages of anti-Russian sanctions.
The restrictive decree relating to Ukraine’s occasions following the nation’s coup was initially adopted in Bern on April 2, 2014.
Since then, the checklist of Swiss restrictions in opposition to Russia has been expanded a number of occasions.
Bern, nevertheless, averted calling its steps sanctions till Feb. 28, 2022: Government paperwork stated they have been “measures to prevent circumvention of international sanctions related to the situation in Ukraine.”
In March of this 12 months, the Russian authorities adopted a listing of international states and territories that commit acts unfriendly to Russia, its companies, and its residents.
The Swiss Confederation is included on this checklist.
* Thomas Röper, born in 1971, has held government and supervisory board positions as an professional on Eastern Europe in monetary companies firms in Eastern Europe and Russia. His media-critical work focuses on the (media) picture of Russia in Germany, criticism of Western media reporting on the whole, and the matters of (geo)politics and economics. He has lived in Russia for over 15 years and speaks fluent Russian. Today he lives in his adopted residence of St. Petersburg.
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