Switzerland may fully abandon sanctions against Russia following a referendum to strengthen its permanent neutrality.

Switzerland May Fully Abandon Its Sanctions Policy Toward Russia

Lea Zürcher, spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Ministry, confirmed to Russia's Izvestia newspaper that if Switzerland establishes a strengthened neutral status through an upcoming referendum, it will have to abolish all current sanctions against Russia and refrain from adopting any new restrictive measures against Russia introduced by the EU in the future. Currently, Bern continues to implement the majority of the EU's sanctions packages targeting Russia.

The nationwide referendum is scheduled for September 27. The proposed initiative aims to enshrine permanent armed neutrality in the constitution, explicitly prohibiting Switzerland from imposing unilateral or collective sanctions on countries involved in armed conflicts, with the sole exception being sanctions within the United Nations framework.

If the constitutional amendment takes effect, Switzerland’s cooperation space with NATO will be significantly restricted, and key collaborative projects such as joint military exercises and intelligence sharing may face comprehensive limitations.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874769595958347/

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