Era of ‘brutal and brazen’ power politics has returned, says Swiss finance minister

WEF: Keller-Sutter, 'we are in an era of power politics' Keystone-SDA

The world has returned to an era of "brutal and brazen power politics", according to Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter.

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“Of course, we are concerned about what is happening: it is not an advantage for Switzerland,” she said on Swiss public television SRF during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. She was speaking before US President Donald Trump gave his speech on Wednesday.

“Ultimately, however, we cannot change the situation. We must try to navigate the world to the best of our ability,” she added.

According to Keller-Sutter, power is now concentrated in the hands of a few, and medium-sized states such as Germany, as well as small ones such as Switzerland, are being pushed to the margins. Politically, Switzerland is not powerful and is therefore “completely exposed” to this “storm”, she stressed.

When asked whether Switzerland, in today’s world, despite new free trade agreements and alliances, should think primarily of itself, Keller-Sutter replied that “the interests of one’s own country must always be given priority”. However, in order to pursue them, “one must also engage in dialogue with others”.

She said there is also a “movement among countries that may not always have been so close, but are now coming together because they want to counter” the aforementioned power politics. There is therefore a great willingness to cooperate, she said.

Adapted from Italian by AI/ts

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