Swiss break off free-trade talks with Russia
The Swiss government has taken its first concrete action against Russia in response to the crisis in Crimea: suspending negotiations on a free-trade agreement.
Switzerland started the talks, as a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), in 2010. Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann said on Wednesday the decision had been taken with the three other EFTA countries: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
“In the meantime the four of us agreed that we wanted a postponement,” he told Swiss public radio, SRF, adding that Russia had been informed.
Schneider-Ammann said this was the “first formal signal” that Switzerland “is concerned by the development of events. Given the uncertain situation, we obviously couldn’t carry on as though nothing had happened”.
He said free-trade agreements were important – and even more so between Russia and the EFTA market – “but not at any price”.
“In due time, and in a stable environment, negotiations could resume,” he concluded.
‘Fascists’
On Wednesday, Russian troops backed by unarmed volunteers stormed Ukraine’s naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol and raised the Russian flag, as Moscow tightened its control of the Black Sea peninsula.
The dramatic seizure came as Russia and the West dug in for a long confrontation over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, with the United States and Europe groping for ways to increase pressure on a defiant Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin said his move to annex Crimea was justified by “fascists” in Kiev who overthrew pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych after deadly street protests last month.
Ukraine and Western governments have dismissed the referendum as a sham and say there is no justification for Putin’s actions.
Yanukovych enraged many Ukrainians by turning his back on closer ties with Europe to sign agreements on economic integration with Russia.
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