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Bern sees no problems with Putin’s participation in potential conference on Ukraine

According to Swiss President Viola Amherd, such exceptions are possible when the participation of government officials in conferences are needed

BURGENSTOCK /Switzerland/, June 16. /TASS/. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has said that he sees no problems with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation in a conference on Ukraine in case it is organized in Switzerland, despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He said that this matter can be settled under his country’s laws and in coordination with the ICC. Exceptions to the rules can be made for a country hosting international events, he told a news conference.

According to Swiss President Viola Amherd, such exceptions are possible when the participation of government officials in conferences are needed. She stressed that this is exactly the case if the Russian leader opts to engage in potential talks on Ukraine in Switzerland. However, I her words, a Swiss government’s decision will be needed for that.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian presidential commissioner for children's rights, on charges of alleged involvement in war crimes, such as "illegal deportation of the population," including children, and their illegal transfer to Russia. Putin, however, rejected these accusations, saying that Russian authorities evacuated children from the conflict zone absolutely legally in an efforts to save their lives and have never objected to their reunification with their families.

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