Switzerland exports more weapons to conflict nations
A work at RUAG, Switzerland's state-owned defence contractor, builds a tank
Keystone
As parliament debates limiting the government’s say over whether Switzerland can export weapons to countries at war, research shows that Switzerland already exports weapons to such countries, and the numbers are increasing.
This content was published on
1 minute
NZZ/swissinfo.ch/ts
العربية
ar
سويسرا تصدّر المزيد من العتاد الحربي إلى مناطق النزاعات
Last year some 30% of Swiss weapons exports, worth around CHF140 million ($141 million), were bound for countries involved in either internal or international wars, according to a report in the Neue Zürcher ZeitungExternal link (NZZ) on Thursday.
After regulations were relaxed in 2014, the proportion of such business increased, the NZZ said, largely due to exports to India, Pakistan and Thailand.
The states to which Swiss arms were delivered ranged from those involved in conflicts supported by international law (Afghanistan) to those that are not recognised as legitimate by the international community (Russia’s operations in Syria). Other examples are interstate conflicts (India and Pakistan) or civil wars (Thailand).
Swiss arms exports still at odds with humanitarian tradition
This content was published on
A Swiss historian explains how the “arms exports versus humanitarian tradition” paradox has been a recurrent theme since the First World War.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Uncensored report on arms exports reveals shortcomings
This content was published on
Regulations for exporting weapons are easy to exploit and the Swiss authorities approve almost all export requests for war materiel.
Loopholes allow Swiss weapons producers to massage export rules
This content was published on
In June, the government proposed allowing weapons to be exported to countries in the throes of internal conflict provided it could be established that they would not be used by warring parties. The FAO says it is currently possible to sidestep existing restrictions using perfectly legal measures. One such loophole is a provision that allows…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.