“The Federal Council has decided that the expulsion of diplomats is a measure that must be taken in the context of a security policy, not as a sanction for something,” said Cassis in an interview with Swiss public television RTS on Thursday.
He warned that “changing the rules of the game” will “cause a lot of confusion”. Around 200 Russian diplomats were expelled from Europe 48 hours after reports of hundreds of civilian deaths in the Russian-occupied town of Bucha. Russia has firmly rejected the accusation and its ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia,claimed that “not a single civilian suffered from any kind of violence”.
Cassis also cautioned against the use of the term “war crimes” before the facts were established on what has occurred in Ukraine. He repeated that Switzerland wanted an independent international investigation to verify whether war crimes were committed. The UN Human Rights Council has just launched an international commission of enquiry to carry out this mandate.
“These are indications of war crimes,” said Cassis in the RTS interviewExternal link. “They are not war crimes until a court of law says so.”
On Thursday, Switzerland joined 92 other nations in voting to expel Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. This was only the second time a country has been expelled from this UN body after Libya in 2011. Russia had warned countries that a yes vote or abstention would be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties.
Swisscom receives greenlight for acquisition of Vodafone Italia
This content was published on
The takeover of Vodafone Italia by Swisscom is nearing completion. All relevant authorities have now approved the €8 billion (CHF7.45 billion) deal.
Novo Nordisk stock market plunge drags down Swiss device maker Ypsomed
This content was published on
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, faced setbacks on Friday that weighed on the share price of Swiss injection device manufacturer Ypsomed.
Swiss press react to EU deal with mix of euphoria and scepticism
This content was published on
Swiss media reaction to the agreement between Switzerland and the EU varies widely. Some are celebrating, while others worry about what is to come.
Swiss Solidarity donations to tackle child abuse top CHF4 million
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has raised over CHF4 million ($4.3 million) to tackle child abuse.
EU Commission president says Swiss-EU deal is ‘historic’ agreement
This content was published on
At a joint media conference with Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a "day of joy".
Switzerland and EU reach deal on future bilateral relations
This content was published on
Switzerland and the European Union have announced a political agreement to update their trading relationship after almost a decade of difficult talks.
This content was published on
In some parts of the world, Russia's war in Ukraine has highlighted fault lines that could have a wider impact on global politics.
Diplomatic isolation of Russia – a tricky strategy in International Geneva
This content was published on
In Geneva, the war in Ukraine has prompted the West to exclude Russia from some international fora. Some fear the strategy could backfire.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.