Bern has shown it is no longer neutral by rejecting restrictions on unilateral sanctions, Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov says<\/p>\n
Switzerland has shown that it is \u201cnot a neutral state anymore\u201d by rejecting a proposal to tighten the country\u2019s neutrality rules, Russia\u2019s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov has said.
\nSwiss voters on Sunday rejected the \u2018Safeguard Swiss Neutrality\u2019 initiative, which would have barred Bern from imposing sanctions on states involved in armed conflicts unless mandated by the UN. It would also have restricted cooperation with military alliances unless Switzerland faced a direct or imminent attack.
\nIn a post on X following the vote, Ulyanov said the result \u201csimply proved that Switzerland is not strong enough to be really neutral and that neutrality is wishful thinking but not a principle of this country.\u201d
\nAccording to the provisional official final tally, 70.15% voted against the initiative, while 29.85% supported it. The proposal was rejected in every canton.
\nThe initiative was launched by the right-wing Swiss People\u2019s Party (SVP) and the Pro Schweiz sovereignty movement. Its supporters argued that Bern had moved \u201cdangerously close\u201d to the EU and NATO, particularly since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, undermining Switzerland\u2019s independence and credibility as a mediator.<\/p>\n
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Why is the Swiss government opposing stricter neutrality rules?<\/p>\n
Switzerland has largely aligned itself with EU sanctions against Russia since February 2022. Moscow subsequently placed the country on its list of \u201cunfriendly\u201d states and has argued that Bern can no longer serve as a trusted neutral mediator.
\nThe Swiss government, however, maintains that adopting sanctions does not violate the country\u2019s neutrality. Ahead of the referendum, the Federal Council argued that the existing policy gives Bern the flexibility to respond to international developments while safeguarding its security and independence.
\nSwitzerland\u2019s neutrality has been enshrined in its federal constitution since 1848. The country is not a member of NATO but has cooperated with the US-led military bloc for decades, with ties expanding in recent years.
\nBoth the Federal Council and parliament had urged voters to reject the initiative, arguing that a more rigid neutrality policy would restrict Switzerland\u2019s ability to respond to international crises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bern has shown it is no longer neutral by rejecting restrictions on unilateral sanctions, Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov says Switzerland has shown that it is \u201cnot a neutral state anymore\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39002,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t