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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a media question regarding Switzerland losing its neutral status

14 April 2024 10:19
687-14-04-2024

Question: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that "We aren't counting on Switzerland's services. Thanks to its neutral status, Switzerland has traditionally been a venue for peace conferences and talks to reach compromises and agreements. But it has lost this status."

In this connection, does Russia intend to transfer the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus to another country? Which countries could host discussions on the South Caucasus?

Maria Zakharova: We have repeatedly pointed out to the Swiss side that its irresponsible commitment to the collective West's openly unfriendly policy towards Russia, including the fact that it has joined all the "packages" of EU sanctions against Russia (there are 13 of them to date), as well as its total solidarity with the Kiev regime, are at variance with its much vaunted "neutrality." We warned Bern over a year ago that the continuation of this destructive policy could lead to Russia losing its confidence in the Confederation as a good-faith intermediary in international affairs. Regrettably, the Swiss authorities have failed to heed our concerns. Moreover, in recent months, they have actively promoted certain destructive initiatives, such as their own proposal to host an "international conference" on Ukraine, an idea that is completely detached from reality, as well as their efforts to develop a legal framework for a mechanism that would allow for the confiscation of Russia's state assets deposited in their country.

Given these circumstances, Russia has been forced to put into practice its intention to transfer the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus to a country whose authorities would refrain from any actions that could damage the interests of any participating party in this negotiation format. There are several nations which are rightfully aspiring to assume this role, with some of them already agreeing to host the regular meetings of the Discussions.

I don't want to speculate on the outcome of ongoing consultations with our foreign partners regarding this issue. The only thing worth noting is that Russia intends to continue its efforts to achieve consensus on transferring the talks from Geneva with active support from our Abkhazian and South Ossetian allies, who fully share Moscow's perspective on this matter.