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Federal President Cassis has been criticized for the way he is handling the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
This week, Switzerland adopted the fifth package of sanctions that the EU decided against Russia and Belarus. Nevertheless, the criticism does not abate. Some accuse Federal President Ignazio Cassis and the Federal Council of acting too hesitantly, for example when implementing the sanctions. Others, on the other hand, are of the opinion that the Federal Council – and above all Cassis – took a too strong position and weakened Switzerland’s neutrality.
Cassis: «We are on course»
Federal President Ignazio Cassis contradicts the criticism and is satisfied with the implementation of the sanctions against Russia by the Swiss authorities. “We’re not only on course, we’re among the best in the world,” he says in Radio SRF’s “Saturday Review”.
We sanctioned almost eight billion Swiss francs
Everyone knew exactly how the sanctions were to be implemented. “The cantons have received instructions about the expectations of the federal government. The banks know it and everything is going well at the moment. We have sanctioned almost eight billion francs and we have confiscated twelve buildings. »
Legend:
“Everyone knows exactly how the sanctions are to be implemented,” says Cassis.
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No Swiss going it alone
In addition, one does not work alone to track down Russian assets. “We are also working closely with the EU in a special task force and are in close contact with the US and with the REPO task force, a similar G7 task force that aims to develop mechanisms to go even further into these sanctions walk.” This approach by Switzerland is 100 percent compatible with the country’s neutrality and is being positively received around the world, including in Ukraine.
We cannot change the political structures in Switzerland.
With international contacts, he hardly perceives criticism, said Cassis. Criticism is mainly expressed domestically. The Federal President emphasized that Switzerland’s political structures could not be changed in order to implement the measures in connection with the Ukraine war. The involvement of the cantons, for example, is essential, the federal government cannot simply intervene in their competencies.
Criticism of Seco rejected
Cassis also rejected criticism of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco); this one does a good job. Last Sunday, the Basel criminal law and corruption expert Mark Pieth criticized in the “NZZ am Sonntag” that an authority of all people was responsible for controlling the sanctions, which otherwise takes care of economic development, including with Russia.
Politicians had also called for a more active approach by Seco. This relies too much on the obligation to report, for example for banks. Cassis objected that if the responsibilities were to be changed now, it would only result in an organizational construction site. As with every crisis, however, an evaluation will be carried out afterwards and measures will be decided if necessary.
Cassis also defends the decision not to expel any Russian diplomats. The Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) has not named anyone who needs to be expelled.
Video circuit with Selenski: “Reception was my duty”
With regard to his appearance at a peace demonstration in Bern, in which the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also connected via video, Cassis compared the situation to a state visit.
Selenski is currently unable to physically travel to Switzerland. “It was my duty to receive him.” Anything else would have gone down in the history books as a faux pas.