Switzerland gives way – Russian diplomats are allowed to stay in Bern and Geneva
Russian diplomats are allowed to stay in Bern and Geneva
Most European countries are currently expelling representatives from Russia. Switzerland is not going along.
Switzerland has adopted most of the EU sanctions against Russia. Now, however, she is backing down on a measure taken by most European countries after the recent allegations of Russian war crimes became known.
At its meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Council spoke out against expelling Russian diplomats. His spokesman André Simonazzi said this on request. Demands for such a measure had become louder in Switzerland in the past few days under the impression of the pictures from Ukraine and the news about atrocities committed by Russian soldiers.
The representatives of the Putin regime are allowed to remain in Bern or Geneva, although the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) suspects around a third of them of espionage under diplomatic cover. “When Switzerland expels diplomats, this is for reasons of internal security, and these cases are not publicly communicated,” said the Federal Council. For this to happen, an agent must be caught red-handed quickly.
Functionality of the Swiss embassy at risk
The Federal Council justified its waiver with diplomatic interests and the interests of Swiss nationals in Russia. The communication channels with Russia would have to be later, especially in the interest of the protecting power mandate that Switzerland exercises in Moscow for Georgia, said Simonazzi. In addition, political sanctions in the form of the expulsion of Russian diplomats could impair the functionality of the Swiss embassy in Russia, which would not be in the interests of the Swiss people there.
The experience of 2018 also played a role in the decision. At that time, following the poisoning of a double agent in southern England and Russian espionage activities against the Spiez Laboratory and the World Anti-Doping Agency in Lausanne, Switzerland had denied accreditation to several Kremlin diplomats. In return, Russia did the same with Swiss representatives – which quickly left the embassy in Moscow understaffed.
In most European countries, similar fears about recent Russian aggression did not play a major role. Most recently, Spain announced that 27 Russian diplomats would be deported, Italy 30 and Portugal 10. On Monday, Germany declared 40 Russian diplomats undesirable. In France, 35 diplomats are affected by a transfer. The Baltic states even ordered the closure of the Russian consulate general after the latest massacre in Ukraine became known. Austria is one of the few European countries that, like Switzerland, has refrained from taking such measures.
Implement sanctions more quickly
The Federal Council also dealt with the sanctions on Wednesday – and instructed Economics Minister Guy Parmelin to improve the flow of information with the EU. The hearing prevailed after a suggestion from Interior Minister Alain Berset. The goal: Parmelin should use the existing channels to the EU to obtain information on the next round of EU sanctions before the official publication. This is to prevent delays.
Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga suggested that Switzerland should refer to the EU text, adopt the sanctions one-to-one and, in a second step, issue any exceptions. However, there was no majority for this. Parmelin themselves see no need for action. In a report ordered by the Federal Council as a whole, his department came to the conclusion that there was hardly any room for a request. However, a majority in the Bundesrat did not share this assessment.
More money for the army
The Federal Council also discussed parliamentary initiatives for a stronger army. The Security Policy Commission of the National Council is calling for a motion to rebuild the army’s ability to defend the country. To this end, army spending is to be gradually increased from next year until it totals seven billion instead of five in 2030.
The Councilors of States Werner Salzmann (SVP) and Thierry Burkart (FDP) and the liberal Aargau National Councilor Maja Riniker are demanding the same thing. The Federal Council has not yet agreed on a statement on the proposals. There are still inconsistencies, because not all advances require exactly the same thing. The defense department must now clarify which additional armaments projects should be given priority and with what priority. According to sources close to the government, a majority in the Federal Council is obviously of the opinion that the army should soon have unnecessary additional funds at its disposal.
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