Swiss visit by Russia’s State Duma speaker sparks controversy
The forthcoming official visit to Switzerland by Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, has sparked controversy, Swiss public radio, RTS, reports.
Volodin, who is considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is due to arrive in Switzerland on Sunday for a two-day visit following an invitation extended last year by a Swiss parliamentary delegation to Moscow.
However, the Duma speaker is under both American and European Union sanctions for his role in the 2014 Crimea crisis. He is barred from entering EU territory, and his assets in the 27-country bloc have been frozen.
Switzerland is not a member of the EU and has not imposed such sanctions. But it has bilateral ties with the EU and is part of the Schengen agreement on free movement.
“Russia is trying to use visits to Switzerland mostly for internal propaganda purposes and to show that it is present in the West,” Carlo Sommaruga, a centre-left Social Democrat and member of the Swiss foreign affairs committee, told RTS. “This does not help get Russia to change position on respect of international law.”
But Filippo Lombardi, president of the Switzerland-Russia interparliamentary group, thinks Switzerland is playing its traditional “neutral role”, according to the RTS.
“We have managed to reduce the factors of conflict and bring down the fighting,” he said. “I think that is the role Switzerland should play, and the Swiss parliament should do the same at its own level.”
Volodin was Putin’s first deputy chief of staff from 2011 to 2016. The EU views him as having supervised the integration of Crimea into Russia.
Crimea, which had been part of Ukraine since 1954, was annexed by the Russian Federation in early 2014. This was accompanied by a Russian military intervention in Crimea that took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and was part of wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
This content was published on
In many cases, China's use of AI undermines the national security of the US and its allies, according to a US government representative.
Swiss Hells Angels trial alleges rape and money laundering
This content was published on
An allegedly high-ranking member of the Hells Angels is accused of money laundering totalling millions and rape, among other serious crimes.
SWISS is airline ‘group flagship’ says Lufthansa boss
This content was published on
Despite challenges, Lufthansa and its most important subsidiary, Swiss International Airlines, promise increased satisfaction and continued growth.
Swiss rediscover communist zeal after 84-year hiatus
This content was published on
Over 300 participants founded the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP) at its congress in Burgdorf in canton Bern at the weekend.
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
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.