Zelensky’s government did not appreciate Switzerland’s presence in a conference organized by China and Brazil.Keystone
Switzerland participated in a meeting on Ukraine organized by China and Brazil. Which goes badly with kyiv.
Francesco Benini / ch media
The Ukrainian government is angry with Switzerland. The reason? Nicolas Bideau, head of communications for the Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), was in favor of a peace plan for Ukraine proposed by China and Brazil.
Last week, Switzerland was the only Western country to participate in a meeting organized by China and Brazil on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Confederation participated in the meeting as an observer. There was talk of a peace plan for Ukraine, which begins with a ceasefire along the current front line.
“We support this dynamic”declared the spokesperson for the DFAE, Nicolas Bideau, to the Reuters news agency. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry then announced that “Ukraine expresses its disappointment with Switzerland’s support for the so-called six-point plan of China and Brazil.”
Ukraine emphasizes the principle of “territorial integrity”
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that Switzerland and Ukraine continue to work together to encourage countries to sign the final declaration of the Bürgenstock summit last June. All plans to restore peace in Ukraine should adhere to two principles:
“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”
And the plans should be based on the UN Charter and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And that is the point of contention. Ukraine rejects peace plans that envisage ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia. There now appears to be differences of opinion on whether or not China and Brazil refer to the UN Charter. The Charter states that “all members shall refrain, in their international relations, from the threat or use of force against territorial integrity.”
Switzerland would like to organize a second conference
Asked about the war waged by Russia against Ukraine, FDFA spokesperson Léa Zürcher spoke.
“Regarding the war waged by Russia against Ukraine, Switzerland believes that all peace plans based on international law, the UN Charter and the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty deserve to be be taken into consideration”
Based on this position, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs participated as an observer in New York on September 27 at the meeting organized by China and Brazil for the countries of the “Global South”.
Why is Switzerland participating in a meeting of countries from the South? The Department of Foreign Affairs clearly wants to continue to make itself known internationally, so that Switzerland is the place where a second peace conference could be held in Ukraine — this time with the participation of Russia.
The date of such a meeting remains open. Nothing will happen before the US presidential elections on November 5. The Russian army is currently advancing in the Donetsk region – which does not encourage the Kremlin to want to negotiate.
Translated and adapted by Noëline Flippe
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Switzerland had 285,000 cultural workers in 2023, which represents 5.6% of the active population. Half have a part-time job. In terms of salary, a strong disparity is noted between the sexes.
