Only Russia turns down Swiss UN invitation
Published: Wednesday, Aug 21st 2024, 14:50
Retour au fil d'actualité
Russia is the only country to have turned down an invitation from Switzerland to the members of the UN Security Council to visit Switzerland. Diplomats from the 13 other countries will travel to Geneva on August 25 and 26, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern. The newspaper "Le Temps" first reported the news.
Russia's representative office in New York had let it be known that it would not be taking part in the trip. It did not give any reasons. However, Moscow has classified Switzerland as an "unfriendly state" since it adopted the EU sanctions against Russia over the attack on Ukraine.
For the first time, Switzerland is one of the ten non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. In addition to Russia, the five permanent members are China, the USA, the UK and France. In addition to Switzerland, Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia are currently members. Membership of the non-permanent members lasts two years.
The reason for the trip is the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. They are the cornerstones of international humanitarian law and are intended to protect the wounded and civilians in conflicts and guarantee the dignified treatment of prisoners. They were signed in 1949. The visit was "in particular an opportunity to emphasize the importance of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the protection of the civilian population in armed conflicts", as the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) wrote.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic