Swiss Foreign Minister calls for renewed disarmament efforts
Cassis called on North Korea to cease its development of nuclear weapons.
Keystone
Ignazio Cassis spoke today at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and pledged Switzerland’s full support for efforts to prevent armed conflicts.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/ln
He urged the UN Secretary-General to “take ambitious and targeted measures” in today’s polarised world and said that the international security situation had become “much more unstable” since the end of the Cold War.
He called the city of Geneva an “international centre for dialogue and peace” which played an important role in helping to combat the many challenges the planet faces today.
Cassis particularly pointed out the risk of nuclear conflict and called on North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions regarding disarmament. North Korea should cease its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, he said.
And aside from sanctions, Cassis said it was “essential to maintain dialogue to reach a political solution” and said that Bern is ready to facilitate a dialogue between North and South Korea.
The minister said creating a world without nuclear weapons was a “colossal task”.
Syrian conflict
Cassis also raised the issue of the repeated use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict and said that the international community must react with a “strong and collective response”.
The humanitarian consequences of such armed conflicts on civilian populations was a major challenge today, he said.
“As we speak, the horror of war affects children, women and men in Damascus and too many innocent civilian victims, medical staff, patients and humanitarian aid workers are being attacked,” he said.
Switzerland welcomed Security Council Resolution 2041 which was passed on Saturday, said Cassis, calling on all parties to implement it with immediate effect. The resolution demands an immediate end to the fighting and the establishments of a humanitarian truce lasting at least 30 days in Syria.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
United States’ ‘second lady’ observes Swiss training system
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Larry Finck and André Hoffmann named interim co-chairs of WEF board
This content was published on
The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.
Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU
This content was published on
The vice-president of the Bundestag says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union given the customs conflict with the United States.
Lindt & Sprüngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km/h speed limit
This content was published on
The Traffic Club of Switzerland (TCS) has submitted a petition to the Federal Chancellery, challenging the 30km/h speed limit on local roads.
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
Swiss president calls for strong UN
This content was published on
The world needs a ‘strong United Nations’ with nations working together better, Swiss President Doris Leuthard told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Switzerland prepared to mediate in North Korean tensions
This content was published on
Switzerland has joined the international outcry against the latest North Korean nuclear test, and has offered its services as mediator.
This content was published on
Why Switzerland is one of the few countries providing aid to North Korea despite Pyongyang's nuclear tests and missile launches.
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.