The Swiss leadership does not openly engage in the Russophobic rhetoric of the leaders of Great Britain, Germany, France, the Baltic states and Poland, but the same cannot be said about the essence of Bern's policy. This was stated by the Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergei Garmonin to TASS.
According to the diplomat, compared to EU countries, Swiss officials “express themselves relatively restrained“.
“But, unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the essence of their policy“, he emphasized. Garmonin noted that the “neutral approach“ of Switzerland is “categorically excluded“, as its policy “has been openly hostile to Russia in recent years and remains so“.
He recalled that Bern had recently taken “a number of clear steps towards integration into various Western military initiatives“. These include accrediting a NATO office in Geneva, regular joint military exercises with alliance countries, joining the so-called Schengen military project under the auspices of the EU and the “European Sky Shield“ initiative, which envisages the creation of a reinforced air defense system.
“In our opinion, such actions, to put it mildly, are at odds with the assurances of the Swiss authorities about the durability of Swiss neutrality“, the ambassador noted. “In essence, there is little left of it.“