Swiss President ‘war frenzy’ remark sparks backlash

Swiss President Alain Berset has hit a nerve with his comments on Swiss weapons exports. Keystone / Anthony Anex

Swiss President Alain Berset is facing a domestic and international backlash after bemoaning a “warlike frenzy” over Ukraine.

Berset made his comments in a NZZ am Sonntag newspaper interview on Switzerland’s opposition to exporting weapons to Ukraine.

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Switzerland continues to reject demands from European countries to allow them to re-export Swiss-made war materiel to Ukraine.

The New York Times accused Switzerland of “months of hand-wringing” to defend its neutral status as the war in Europe rages on.

“Everyone knows this is hurting Switzerland. The entire EU is angry. The Americans are upset. The resentment comes from the Russians too,” the NYT quotes Swiss historian Sacha Zala.

The Financial Times also noted that Berset’s comments will not go down well with other countries.

“Berset’s declaration will confound those who had hoped for the beginnings of a change in Switzerland’s position,” the newspaper noted.

But the situation is not so straightforward in Switzerland where demonstrators gathered in the country’s capital, Bern, at the weekend to demand strict adherence to neutrality.

Switzerland’s largest political party, the Swiss People’s Party, is adamant that Swiss-made weapons should not be sent to war zones.

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People’s Party President Marco Chiesa defended Berset’s stance, telling Swiss public broadcaster SRF that neutrality has historically contributed to “security, prosperity and freedom”.

Other political parties, however, are angry at Berset’s comments. “This damages the reputation and positioning of our country,” said Radical Party President Thierry Burkhart.

Other politicians accused Berset of skimming over Russia’s military aggression.

“It is not Switzerland that’s in a war frenzy, but [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is. That’s the main problem,” said Social Democrat Parliamentary President Roger Nordmann.