Swiss People’s Party calls for EU sanctions on Russia to be reviewed

The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has called for a reassessment of the European Union’s sanctions policy towards Russia, parliamentarian Jean-Luc Addor told Izvestia.

“We consider them [the sanctions] incompatible with Swiss neutrality. This position was also publicly expressed during recent parliamentary debates on neutrality,” Addor said in an interview, Caliber.Az reports.

He added that moving away from a neutral stance toward external pressure affects Switzerland’s role as an independent international mediator.

“Swiss policy should primarily serve the interests of Switzerland and its citizens. It should not be dictated by political agendas set in Brussels or Washington,” Addor noted.

In February, Russia’s ambassador to Switzerland, Sergey Garmonin, said the country was not acting as a neutral party in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

He stressed that Switzerland could serve as one of the venues for negotiations, but not as a primary mediator.

On February 18-19, delegations from Russia, the US, and Ukraine met in Geneva, where significant updates on sanctions and diplomatic pressure were announced.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov