The Foreign Ministry called the draft Swiss foreign policy strategy anti-Russian

The draft Swiss foreign policy strategy for the next few years has turned out to be openly anti-Russian, Moscow will draw conclusions regarding Geneva’s compliance with the criteria of a neutral international diplomatic platform, reports press service of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On September 29, the Swiss government approved the country’s draft foreign policy strategy for the period 2024-2027. Russian media asked the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, to comment on how the foreign policy department assesses the content of this document, permeated with “anti-Russian rhetoric.”

“Indeed, the document turned out to be openly anti-Russian. The Swiss authorities advocate ensuring security on the European continent “not with Russia, but from it.” The document admits that Bern deliberately reduced political dialogue with Moscow to a minimum. Well, this is not our choice,” Zakharova’s response says.

She called it indicative how the “so-called Swiss neutrality” is presented in the strategy. The document, according to Zakharova, immediately stipulates that “its practical content is not spelled out in any way in the country’s constitution and therefore, as it turns out, can be interpreted depending on the circumstances.” The Russian side believes that the presented strategy speaks of Bern’s “movement in the wake of the short-sighted policy of the collective West,” and the Swiss authorities, as noted, recognized and recorded the dismantling of the principles of “eternal neutrality.”

“Of course, all this as a whole will certainly be taken into account by the Russian side when further building our line towards Switzerland. We will also draw conclusions regarding Geneva’s compliance with the criteria of a truly neutral international diplomatic platform,” the Foreign Ministry said.

About the fact that Switzerland will reconsider its relations with Russia in the next foreign policy strategy, it became known from the country’s Foreign Ministry report on foreign policy for 2022. The department explained in winter that “Moscow’s refusal to accept the mandate of the patron power to protect the interests of Ukraine in Russia is obvious evidence that the promotion of peace is currently in a very difficult situation.” The Foreign Ministry also recalled that Switzerland joined all EU sanctions that were introduced after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.