A party in Switzerland called for the lifting of non-UN sanctions

Switzerland needs to lift the non-military sanctions imposed by the country , adopted outside the UN Security Council, and return to neutrality. The national conservative party “Democratic Union of the Center” called for this, the press service of the association reports.

The party also proposed stopping Switzerland's "creeping" membership in military and defense alliances. The Democratic Union of the Center calls Swiss neutrality a “model of success” that has saved the country from bloody international conflicts.

The document with proposals for neutrality collected more than 130 thousand votes, the party will submit the initiative for consideration by the government with a view to holding a referendum.

The Democratic Union of the Center is the largest party in the Swiss parliament; in the 2023 elections it received 28.6% of the vote and 62 of the 200 parliamentary seats.

Despite its official neutral status, Switzerland imposed sanctions against RUSSIA due to its military operation in Ukraine . The country has joined the restrictive measures introduced by European countries several times. In particular, in early March, Bern joined the 13th package of anti-Russian sanctions.

Then the restrictions were extended to 106 individuals and 88 legal entities. The EU has also expanded the list of goods prohibited for EXPORT to Russia, and the list has been supplemented with possible components for the development and assembly of drones.

The Democratic Union of the Center party has repeatedly stated that sanctions against Russia by Switzerland are a violation of the country's Constitution. In the summer of 2022, the association called the introduction of restrictions a violation of Switzerland's neutrality provisions.

The Russian authorities call international sanctions illegal, ineffective and demand their lifting.