The seven-member government agreed that Switzerland’s current approach as defined in 1993 remains valid and should not be adapted in the wake of the Ukraine war.
The government said in a report adoptedExternal link on Wednesday that Switzerland’s current neutrality practice “provides sufficient scope to use neutrality as an instrument of Swiss foreign and security policy in the present international context”.
The government had examined Swiss neutrality in the light of the war in Ukraine and in response to a question by the Senate foreign affairs committee. The cabinet discussed the issue in September.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced Switzerland to explain its neutrality. The Alpine nation has parted with past practice and adopted European Union sanctions designed to punish Russia for invading Ukraine.
In response, Russia classified Switzerland as an unfriendly country. In August it rejected a protecting power mandate agreed by Switzerland and Ukraine, saying Switzerland was no longer neutral.
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Foreign Affairs
What does the future hold for Swiss neutrality?
Switzerland is grappling with a key question: should it follow a path of openness or isolationism?
Meanwhile, in Switzerland a domestic debate rages over how to interpret neutrality policy with two opposing camps.
One is conservative, mainly represented by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, and wants to keep to a strict interpretation of neutrality. It is planning a people’s initiative that would incorporate comprehensive neutrality into the Swiss constitution.
The opposing, more liberal camp, which represents a majority of the government, is pushing for a more active role in international politics.
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Foreign Affairs
Switzerland will remain neutral – until it’s attacked
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Switzerland is neutral. So why has it been cooperating with NATO and the EU on security issues for years?
Switzerland’s current policy of neutrality means it doesn’t take part in armed conflicts and doesn’t support any warring party. As a neutral country it also acts as diplomatic go-between when states partially or fully break off relations.
However, Switzerland no longer sees neutrality as blindly going it alone. This is why for some time it has maintained military partnerships with the Western defence alliance NATO and with its neighbouring countries.
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Debate
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Bruno Kaufmann
What is the future for neutrality?
Neutrality is in the dock. Does it have a future? And how should it be defined?
Swiss-EU treaties: signatures handed in for Kompass initiative
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The committee behind the Compass Initiative submitted the signatures it had collected to the Federal Chancellery on Friday.
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Esther Grether has died aged 89. Considered one of Switzerland’s leading entrepreneurs, the owner of the Basel-based Doetsch Grether Group was also a major shareholder in the Swatch Group and an art collector.
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The flag of the Swiss Wrestling Federation has been received at the start of the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Mollis, canton Glarus.
Figurine heads in Zurich school not considered discriminatory
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The 16 carved figurine heads in the auditorium of the Hirschengraben school building in Zurich are not discriminatory, according to an independent expert report.
Swiss political parties report income of CHF22.4 million for 2024
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Ten parties reported income totalling CHF22.4 million for 2024, less than in the 2023 election year. The reports are based on the regulations for transparency in political financing.
FIFA loses multi-million lawsuit against Blatter and Kattner
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Former FIFA officials Joseph Blatter and Markus Kattner do not have to pay back their own bonuses or the bonus totalling CHF 23 million paid to another FIFA official to FIFA. This was decided by the Zurich Labour Court.
How cancer cells makes healthy cells work for them
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Cancer cells manipulate neighbouring cells for their own purposes: a research team at ETH Zurich has discovered that they can reprogram neighbouring cells in such a way that they help the tumour to grow.
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The ban on non-residents entering the swimming pool in Porrentruy, canton Jura, expires on Sunday and would be extended until the end of the season, the mayor said.
Natural disasters: most Swiss back forced resettlement
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The authorities should be allowed to order forced relocations if there is a medium-term risk of a natural event, according to 58% of participants in a survey.
Russia says Switzerland cannot represent its interests in Ukraine
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Russia has said Switzerland cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine because it is no longer neutral.
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Analyst Daniel Warner looks at whether Russia’s refusal to have Switzerland act as go-between with Ukraine marks the end of an era.
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Switzerland doesn’t take sides in a war. Thanks to its neutrality, it has been able to stay out of conflicts for a long time.
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