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Russian MFA issues protest to Swiss ambassador over push to seize government assets

The ministry also said Russia strongly condemns this move by the Swiss government as it "flagrantly violates the fundamental principles and norms of international law with regard to state immunity"

MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Swiss Ambassador Krystyna Marty Lang and issued her a protest over the decision of the Swiss parliament to start developing a legal foundation for the confiscation of Russian government assets, the ministry said in a statement.

"On March 12, Swiss Ambassador to Moscow Krystyna Marty Lang was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and was issued a protest over the Swiss parliament's decision to initiate the development of a legal foundation for a mechanism that would allow for the confiscation of the Russian Federation’s government assets located in the Swiss Confederation," the statement said.

The ministry also said Russia strongly condemns this move by the Swiss government as it "flagrantly violates the fundamental principles and norms of international law with regard to state immunity."

"It has been underscored that any encroachment on Russian government property under the guise of any far-fetched 'reparation mechanism' would be nothing else but theft at the state level," the ministry said. "In the event of practical implementation of such plans by Bern, retaliatory measures from the Russian side will be inevitable."