Moscow summons Swiss ambassador for protest note
Published: Tuesday, Mar 12th 2024, 16:10
Updated At: Tuesday, Mar 12th 2024, 16:10
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The Swiss ambassador to Russia, Krystyna Marty Lang, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Tuesday. She was handed a protest note against the handling of Russian state property in Switzerland. The note warned against confiscation in connection with Russian destruction during the war in Ukraine.
According to the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti, it is about the - literally - "decision of the Swiss parliament to initiate legal proceedings for a mechanism that would allow the confiscation of Russian state property in the Swiss Confederation".
According to the warning, any violation of Russian state property would constitute "state theft" and "retaliatory measures from the Russian side would be unavoidable".
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Bern confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency that the Swiss ambassador had been summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the parliamentary decision.
On Thursday, the Council of States decided that Switzerland should get involved in the debate on the international legal basis for the confiscation of Russian state assets.
Reparation payments to Ukraine
Specifically, it concerned reparation payments to Ukraine from Russian state assets - and in particular the frozen funds of the Russian central bank. The National Council adopted the motions in the fall session. The Federal Council agreed with the mandate. It can now set about implementing it.
The UN General Assembly, which described Russia as the aggressor in a resolution, has also called for Moscow to pay for the war damage in Ukraine.
The direct material damage caused after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 is estimated to be the equivalent of at least 140 billion Swiss francs. This is according to a joint report by the Ukrainian government, the World Bank and the UN, which was published in mid-February.
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