While no development cooperation projects would be stopped completely – this would be detrimental to the Myanmar population – they will be adapted so that there is no direct aid sent to the ruling junta, French-speaking RTS radio said on Friday.
For example, a professional training programme, a “flagship project of the Swiss”, will be rejigged so that it works with private service providers rather than the government, a representative from the Swiss embassy in Myanmar told the radio.
Any dealings with the ruling military junta will be limited to the strictly necessary, such as public health imperatives, including vaccination programmes, said Giacomo Solari, who heads the Swiss cooperation office in the Asian country.
As a result, the 2022 Swiss development cooperation budget for Myanmar will be cut from CHF25 million (the amount for 2020) to CHF20 million ($23.1 million to $18.5 million).
Coup aftermath
Switzerland condemned the situation in Myanmar following an army takeover of power in February, and in March suspended development aid to the country, with only emergency aid maintained while officials reviewed some 30 ongoing projects.
“It’s mainly a question of whether we maintain cooperation and, if so, to what extent is cooperation acceptable in order to safeguard the progress made over the past ten years while avoiding giving legitimacy to the new regime,” the foreign ministry told Swiss media at the time.
Bern has also on several occasions announced sanctions against the leaders of the coup. And earlier this week, the government criticised a military tribunal in the Asian country for sentencing the country’s overthrown democratic leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, to prison for inciting dissent and breaking Covid-19 rules.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has urged Myanmar’s military, which seized power on Monday in a coup, to “immediately suspend its actions”.
This content was published on
Switzerland announced on Thursday new sanctions against the Myanmar’s ruling junta in retaliation for the ongoing repression since it took power.
This content was published on
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross held talks with Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday.
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.