BERN, September 27. /TASS/. Given that Switzerland supported the EU’s sanctions against Russia, it can no longer serve as a neutral platform for negotiations, Russia's ambassador to the country, Sergey Garmonin, told TASS.

When asked by a TASS correspondent to comment on Switzerland's increasingly evident shift toward strengthening ties with NATO, despite its neutral status, Garmonin noted that "Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that Switzerland is less and less perceived as a neutral state." "We have been saying since Switzerland’s earliest diplomatic steps and government decisions to adopt all the anti-Russian sanctions that this country has entirely sided with the Kiev regime," the ambassador added. "Switzerland's claim that it remains a neutral state and a neutral platform for negotiations is no longer true," Garmonin pointed out. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that Switzerland can no longer be considered a neutral platform, as it has taken a unilateral stance in support of the Kiev regime.

The ambassador also touched upon the discussion within the Swiss government and political circles on lifting the ban on re-exporting Swiss-made weapons sold abroad to conflict zones, including Ukraine. Harmonin clarified that the divergent positions of parliamentarians representing different parties on this issue are related to the pressure exerted on the Confederation by the US and other Western countries. "It is being exerted more and more," he stated.

Speaking about the recent decision of the National Council (the lower chamber of the Swiss parliament) to "recognize the famine in Ukraine as genocide," the Russian ambassador noted that the Russian Embassy’s statement on the matter emphasized that "it is not based on any historical facts." "In 2022, we sent letters to both chambers of the Swiss parliament explaining the issue of the famine," Garmonin added.

In its statement, the embassy recalled that during the famine "not only Ukrainians, but also residents of the Russian SFSR and Kazakhstan suffered." "There was no intention, as the Swiss parliamentarians suggest, to destroy any ethno-religious group, particularly Ukrainians," the ambassador said. He added that the parliamentarians' decision "simply reflects the lack of knowledge - both legal and historical - of the lawmakers who made it," Garmonin summarized.

Switzerland, though not a member of the European Union, has supported the EU's sanctions against Russia despite its neutral status. These sanctions were imposed in response to the special military operation in Ukraine. In March 2022, the Russian government approved a list of foreign states and territories committing unfriendly acts against Russia, its companies, and citizens. The Swiss Confederation is included on this list.