Swiss president repeats good offices offer to Russian foreign minister
A photo of Swiss President Ignazio Cassis (right) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov circulated on Twitter following the bilateral meeting in New York.
Twitter
Ignazio Cassis has reiterated the offer for Switzerland to represent Ukraine’s interests in Russia. He spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
In a bilateral meeting at the annual UN meeting marked by the war in Ukraine, Cassis, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, said Switzerland was ready to offer its good offices to Ukraine and Russia. No new announcement on such a power-protecting mandate was made after the meeting, according to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.
But early on Thursday morning the Russian foreign ministry tweetedExternal link a photo of the Lavrov-Cassis meeting on September 21 and a statement that Bern had been called on “to return to neutral state policy, which in previous years won the Confederation recognition in the international arena”.
In August, Ukraine agreed that Switzerland could represent its interests in Russia. However, Russia rejected the offer arguing that Switzerland was no longer neutral because it had joined Western sanctions against Russia.
More
More
Switzerland will not recognise ‘sham’ Ukraine referendums
This content was published on
Switzerland has joined other Western nations in condemning Russian plans for referendums in four occupied areas of Ukraine.
During their meeting in New York Cassis also expressed concerns about any possible use of nuclear weapons and Russian plans to hold referendums in Ukraine. “During my meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, I asked Russia to refrain from holding so-called referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” Cassis said after the meeting.
In his speech at the plenary session to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the Swiss president strongly condemned the Russian military aggression in Ukraine and demanded an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops. “This war can only end with a diplomatic solution,” Cassis said.
Reaction
Another photo of Cassis smiling and shaking hands with Lavrov, which was circulated on Twitter by the Russian Foreign Minister on Wednesday after the meeting, drew criticism from some Swiss politicians. Newspaper BlickreportedExternal link that Cassis was the only leader from a Western democracy pictured with Lavrov.
In a response to Blick, the Swiss foreign ministry said there were several photojournalists present at the beginning of the meeting. “Naturally there are pictures of it – as of all meetings of the Swiss president in New York. At the UN, media are allowed at the beginning of all meetings.”
Students at EPFL in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied a building at the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) on Tuesday, mirroring a peaceful demonstration at the nearby University of Lausanne (UNIL).
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.
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
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.
Russia says Switzerland cannot represent its interests in Ukraine
This content was published on
Russia has said Switzerland cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine because it is no longer neutral.
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.