Russia’s man in Bern: Sergei Garmonin.
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The Russian ambassador in Bern said on Tuesday that Switzerland’s willingness to engage in dialogue is “noticeably better than in a number of other Western countries”.
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Despite the tense relations between Switzerland and Russia, Sergei Garmonin emphasised that communication with Swiss authorities had remained open. In many other countries, political dialogue had been “completely restricted and frozen”, he said in an interview published on social media platform X.
Overall, however, Garmonin said relations with Switzerland were “difficult”. There had been a “significant reduction in bilateral cooperation by Bern”, he added.
Relations between Bern and Moscow deteriorated after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent war. Bern adopted Western sanctions against Russia and organised a peace summit together with Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort in canton Nidwalden last summer. Russia, which was not invited, publicly questioned Switzerland’s traditional policy of neutrality.
+ Read more: what’s the future for Swiss neutrality?
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the phone in mid-December. Lavrov explained Russia’s position on resolving the situation in Ukraine. Switzerland’s chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2026 was also discussed.
Translated from German by DeepL/dos
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