“There are no safe zones in Ukraine”, says Alain Berset
Keystone-SDA
Three months into his new role as Secretary General of the Council of Europe, former Swiss minister Alain Berset says he is focusing on the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Georgia. He has already visited Ukraine three times in the space of a year.
“I have witnessed air raid alerts on several occasions, both day and night,” said Berset in an interview in the Blick newspaper on Saturday. “The whole country is involved in a war against Russia, a nuclear power. The whole country, not just part of it. There are no safe zones in Ukraine right now,” he remarked.
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Politicians in Switzerland want the special protection ‘status S’ to apply only to Ukrainians in war-affected regions. The 100 or so staff at the Council of Europe office in Kyiv are also confronted with the horrors of war on a daily basis, added Berset.
“All war crimes committed in Ukraine must be dealt with,” said the former Swiss Minister of the Interior. To this end, the Council of Europe has set up a damage register, which already contains over 13,000 entries. This register should later serve as a basis for reparations, he added, acknowledging however that the question of financing has not yet been settled. There are many frozen Russian assets throughout Europe, but this discussion is likely to be difficult, he noted.
Ukraine and democracy
Berset took office as Secretary General of the Council of Europe on September 18. In his maiden speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, he focused on human rights, Ukraine, democracy and Europe.
He added that Russia must be held accountable for its crimes in Ukraine. He also stressed that Europe would support Ukraine in preserving its freedom and independence, as well as in its reconstruction.
Russia was excluded from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Adapted from French by DeepL/ac
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