US Ambassador Scott Miller believes Switzerland has made “tremendous progress” in adopting sanctions against Russia, but he says more could be done to close loopholes when it comes to finding Russian oligarchs’ funds.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Tages-Anzeiger/jdp
العربية
ar
السفير الأمريكي: “الحاجة إلى مساعي سويسرا الحميدة ستستمر”
“Neutrality has never been a static model. It must be continuously adapted to the circumstances. Switzerland’s good offices will continue to be needed,” Miller said in a wide-ranging interviewExternal link in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. “For example, Switzerland could one day serve as a conference venue that Russia and Ukraine could use.”
Miller, who took up the US ambassador post in Bern in January, said that not adopting sanctions against Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine would have caused even greater damage to the reputation of the Swiss financial sector.
However, he argued that Switzerland should join the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs Task Force initiated by the US government to track down Russian assets hiding in shell companies and trusts in the country.
Trade deal
The ambassador also offered thoughts on advancing free trade between the US and Switzerland. Negotiations on a free trade agreement have stalled, with a key sticking point being Swiss agriculture tariffs. Trade between the two countries has grown though. In April the US surpassed Germany to become Switzerland’s largest export market for the first time.
“We can take steps towards free trade by entering into sectoral agreements,” he said. A key opportunity he sees is in the pharmaceutical industry where the two countries are in the process of “facilitating trade”. The pharma and chemical industry accounts for nearly two-thirds of Swiss exports to the US.
More
More
Foreign Affairs
US and Switzerland working on pharma agreement, says US ambassador
This content was published on
In the absence of a free trade deal, the two countries are focused on specific sectoral agreements, Scott Miller has revealed.
In response to questions about Switzerland’s free trade agreement with China, Miller said he planned to raise the issue of labour exploitation in China, specifically the allegations of forced labour of the minority Uyghur population with counterparts in the Swiss government.
Boats sail to Solothurn to celebrate 700 years of Le Landeron
This content was published on
The challenge of crossing Lake Biel from Le Landeron to Solothurn without a motor was taken up by 16 amateur crews on Saturday. The competition is part of Le Landeron's 700th anniversary celebrations.
Swiss cantonal ministers keep low profile on social media
This content was published on
A small base of followers and neutral posts: these are the conclusions that emerge from a study published by UNIL researchers into the use of social networks by councillors of state.
Swiss rents forecast to rise up to 5% annually, housing chief warns
This content was published on
Rents on the Swiss market are set to rise by between 3% and 5% a year over the next few years, warned Martin Tschirren, Director of the Federal Housing Office (FHO), on Sunday. "Demand for housing remains higher than supply".
This content was published on
The Council of the Swiss Abroad, meeting today in Bern, passed a resolution in favour of the new Electronic Identity Act (Id-e), which will be put to the vote on 28 September.
One person consumes 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity
This content was published on
On average, the Swiss consume 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity per year. According to Velobiz.de, this is roughly equivalent to the amount generated by all 176 cyclists in the Tour de France during the entire race.
Outgoing ICRC chief in Ukraine defends neutrality amid war
This content was published on
Swiss national Jürg Eglin, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, reflects on his tenure.
Green party leader criticises government’s neo-liberal policy
This content was published on
The Green Party delegates' meeting opened on Saturday morning in Vicques (JU) with a speech by party president Lisa Mazzone. Mazzone took particular aim at the Federal Council's policy towards the United States.
Working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Bern shows that working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being and particularly affects women.
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
This content was published on
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.
Russia rejects protecting power mandate agreed by Switzerland and Ukraine
This content was published on
Russia has said Switzerland is no longer neutral and cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine.
Biden names Scott Miller as US ambassador to Switzerland
This content was published on
US President Joe Biden has nominated LGBTQ rights activist and philanthropist Scott Miller to serve as ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
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.