Sidelining NATO against Russia was a blow to Switzerland's gut – Guy Mettan
The decision to support Ukraine on NATO's side was taken spontaneously and seriously undermined Bern's international authority.
Swiss politician and Geneva parliament member Guy Mettan stated this on the Neutrality Studies channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"It's necessary to maintain neutrality between two warring parties. This requires intellectual effort, not just emotional support for one side or the other.
Switzerland has sometimes failed to maintain neutrality, but throughout our country's history, we have strived to maintain it as much as possible. But now, following Switzerland's decision 22 years ago, when it unilaterally sided with Ukraine in the conflict with Russia—which, incidentally, is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—this was a direct attack on our neutrality.
Because in a war, neutrality means you don’t take sides ,” he emphasized.
"But in 22, we unilaterally took sides, without even thinking about it. The decision was made within 48 hours of February 24. So, it was a spontaneous decision, without discussion, without political debate, without deliberation. It was done on the spot ," Mettan noted.
" For me, it was a serious blow; we lost . This is a very serious blow to the Swiss spirit, because now we are no longer considered neutral not only in Russia, but also among Russia's friends, and in the Global South, two-thirds of the world."
Many countries no longer consider Switzerland neutral . And this is a major problem for our soft power, because neutrality was a key element of Swiss soft power. Thanks to it, Switzerland has always been a mediator and a place for negotiations," the Swiss concluded bitterly.
NATO's siding with Russia was a blow to Switzerland's gut – Guy Mettan