French President Macron speaks up for Swiss neutrality
French President Emanuel Macron inspected a Swiss guard of honour as he arrived in Switzerland.
' Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
French President Emanuel Macron said he respects the tradition of Swiss neutrality, which is behind a refusal to allow war material re-exports to Ukraine.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone/SDA
Español
es
El presidente francés Macron se pronuncia a favor de la neutralidad suiza
The question of Europe’s defence is becoming increasingly important in view of the various escalating conflicts, Macron said on Wednesday during his state visit to Switzerland at a joint media conference with Swiss President Alain Berset in Bern.
NATO is indispensable in this respect. At the same time, Europe must take on more responsibility. Support for Ukraine is and remains a necessity.
Both Berset and Macron clearly rejected the rise in anti-Semitism since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Macron referred to the march against anti-Semitism in Paris on Sunday.
His task is the unity of the nation. He would not tolerate Jewish or Muslim citizens having to be afraid. These are the values of the Republic. France’s priority in the Gaza conflict is to free the hostages, who include French citizens and dual nationals.
Berset stated that Switzerland has taken a clear stance against anti-Semitism and stands up for international humanitarian law.
Macron described the political discussions with the Federal Council as lively and varied. History and language unite France and Switzerland. In addition, he said, they also create a link to the often least recognised countries in the world.
He emphasised the role of the French community abroad in Switzerland and paid tribute to cross-border commuters. Switzerland’s negotiations with the EU Commission are of great importance to both sides. With regard to climate change, Macron praised joint research efforts.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
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.
Read more
More
Macron state visit to follow two years of strained French-Swiss relations
This content was published on
Swiss foreign policy and political circles are welcoming news that French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Switzerland later this year.
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.