‘We have to be prepared for wars,’ says Swiss security chief
Switzerland must be prepared for wars, even if there is hope that these will never materialise, says State Secretary for Security Policy, Markus Mäder.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Русский
ru
Статс-секретарь Минобороны Швейцарии: «Россия — это реальная угроза»
Following his participation in the security conference in Munich, the head of security once again emphasised that Switzerland must strengthen its defence capabilities and intensify cooperation with partners. “There is cause for concern in Europe,” he said.
Russia was a real threat, he said, adding that Switzerland must orientate its security policy towards reality. It had to deal with a world “that exists – and not with a world that we would like to have”.
A world order that is no longer rules-based poses the greatest threat to Switzerland, Mäder said. “Switzerland in particular is in favour of a rules-based order and compliance with international law.”
This commitment was also evident in the engagement for a peace conference for Ukraine. In mid-January, Defence Minister Viola Amherd announced that Switzerland was prepared to organise such a conference. “We’re preparing this in the knowledge that it is a challenging task,” said Mäder, when asked whether he had found new supporters for the conference at the security conference. Diplomacy must now be given time, he said.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Hundreds of Saint Bernard dogs gather in Switzerland for world competition
This content was published on
Over a hundred Saint Bernards have descended on Martigny, in canton Valais to kick off the World Union of Saint Bernard Clubs competition.
Giacometti lamp tops million-franc mark in Geneva auction
This content was published on
A “Tête de femme” floor lamp by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti topped the million-franc mark at a Piguet auction in Geneva.
UN rights expert criticises Swiss pressure in trade negotiations
This content was published on
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has accused EFTA countries of pressuring Thailand and Malaysia in trade deals.
Switzerland gives CHF60 million to Ukraine for digitalisation
This content was published on
The Swiss government has agreed to give war-ravaged Ukraine CHF58.7 million ($65.5 million) towards the digitalisation of its public administration.
Three people arrested in Switzerland in international drug gang crackdown
This content was published on
International co-operation led to 17 people being arrested in six European countries and large quantities of drugs also being seized.
Federal Council banks on R&D to strengthen Swiss solar industry
This content was published on
The Swiss government opposes the deployment of special industrial policy or measures to help boost the domestic photovoltaic industry.
Swiss president envisions follow-ups to peace summit
This content was published on
Swiss President Viola Amherd hopes the first Ukraine peace conference will build trust and seek solutions for safety and security issues.
This content was published on
With use of drugs such as crack on the rise, the government wants to invest in additional facilities for people suffering from addiction.
Alleged French spy tied to Swiss NGO arrested in Russia
This content was published on
The man, who Russia has claimed was trying to obtain information about the Russian military, was confirmed to be a French citizen working for a Geneva-based NGO.
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.