Switzerland decided on Friday to suspend “entirely” the agreement on the relaxation of the visa regime for Russians, again aligning itself with a similar measure taken by the European Union. During its meeting, the Federal Council (government) “decided to completely suspend the agreement aimed at facilitating the issuance of visas that Switzerland concluded with Russia” in 2009, he said in a press release.
“However, it is not a question of imposing a general visa ban on Russian nationals, but of applying the ordinary procedure to them again, that is to say the rules of the visa code”, he specifies. .
The interests “to contribute to a common visa policy”
Bern is thus aligned with the decision taken by Brussels. “Switzerland has every interest in contributing to a common and uniform visa policy at European level, otherwise it would risk being faced with an increase in the number of visa applications submitted to its representations abroad by Russian nationals seeking to circumvent EU decisions,” the statement said.
Traditionally neutral, Switzerland had broken with its usual reserve in the days following the start of the war in Ukraine by aligning itself with the economic sanctions of the European Union. At the beginning of August, it also imitated the sanctions concerning gold imports from Russia by Switzerland. Russia has accused Bern of no longer being neutral.
Adoption of sanctions denounced by some Swiss
The adoption of the same sanctions as the EU is also denounced in Switzerland by some. Christoph Blocher, the former leader of the UDC party (Democratic Union of the Center), a party of the radical right and which has the largest number of seats in Parliament, wishes to launch a popular vote to defend neutrality according to him undermined.
On September 7, the Federal Council for its part assured that “the decisions taken since the start of the conflict in Ukraine (…) are compatible with Switzerland’s policy of neutrality”. He also considered that the policy of neutrality “keeps its validity” and “leaves enough leeway for Switzerland to react to the events that the European continent has been going through since the start of the war in Ukraine”.