The war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the civil war in Sudan dominate the Foreign Minister’s visit.

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Switzerland is primarily committed to ensuring that international law is respected and that humanitarian aid gets to where it is needed. “Switzerland must consider where it can be useful, and as a mediator it is,” Cassis told media representatives in New York on Wednesday.

The Foreign Minister is therefore also in favor of dialogue with Russia at the UN, unlike most Western countries. “If we want to be bridge builders, then we must also have the courage to talk to both sides, regardless of our condemnation of what the aggressor has done and our sympathy for the victims. These emotions are of no use if we do not succeed in bringing the two parties together and finding a solution together,” said Cassis.

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Positive Birkenstock feedback

Cassis said he had received a lot of positive feedback for the Ukraine conference, which Switzerland held this summer on the Birkenstock with almost 100 countries and organizations. “We didn’t end up with a peace agreement, but things like this take time. In this first step, it was important to focus on who has what position and how the journey towards peace can continue.”

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However, Cassis believes that the prospects for peace in the near future are rather bleak. “The military element of the conflict is more active at the moment than it has been for a long time. There is certainly no feeling at the moment that the conditions are right for the start of a diplomatic discourse,” said Cassis.

However, he also pointed out that Ukraine was currently also fighting on Russian territory. This could also be interpreted as the country creating political capital for the start of negotiations. “There are many unanswered questions. But what is certain is that we are continuously preparing for a second peace conference,” said the Foreign Minister.

Geneva Convention conference

A UN resolution calls on Switzerland, as the depositary state of the Geneva Conventions, to organise a conference on compliance with international humanitarian law with regard to the situation in the Middle East within six months.

“We will hold this conference to address the question of how to create respect for international law and humanitarian access in the occupied Palestinian territories,” said Cassis. In preparation, there will be bilateral contacts, which he will personally initiate with both Israel and the Arab countries in order to coordinate expectations and the nature of the discussion.

Israel had signed the conventions and had to abide by them just like all Arab states. “To meet and say: ‘Yes, we signed that, why are we no longer abiding by it?’ opens up a difficult, painful discussion, but one that is important. Switzerland owes it to the world as the depositary state of the Geneva Convention.”

At the end of his visit to New York, Cassis took part in a meeting on the situation in Sudan. Switzerland is part of a working group that aims to bring peace to the country, which is plagued by civil war.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga