A “good offices” agreement signed three years ago for Switzerland to represent United States interests in Venezuela has still not come into force, it was confirmed on Sunday.
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Acordo de “bons ofícios” Suíça-EUA-Venezuela permanece bloqueado
Switzerland has a long tradition of “good offices”, whereby it covers partial consular services and sometimes also diplomatic tasks for countries that have broken off relations, if they so request.
In 2019, Switzerland and the US signed an agreement to represent US interests in Venezuela, under a “good offices” agreement between the two countries. The mandate concerns mainly consular services for US citizens in Venezuela but also aims at contributing to the de-escalation of tensions between the two nations.
But according to an articleExternal link in SonntagsZeitung newspaper, the protecting power mandate has still not yet come into force.
The accord requires the green light from Venezuela, and so far the South American country has not approved the plan, the foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday.
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Switzerland to represent US interests in Venezuela
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Switzerland is to represent the interests of the United States in Venezuela, under a “good offices” agreement between the two countries.
Switzerland received a similar set-back last week when Russia said it had turned down a Swiss offer to represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine because it no longer considers Switzerland a neutral country.
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Russia rejects protecting power mandate agreed by Switzerland and Ukraine
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Russia has said Switzerland is no longer neutral and cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine.
Over the years Switzerland has represented various countries interests as a go-between. The “golden period” for so-called protecting power mandates was during the Second World War: by 1943-44, Switzerland was juggling 219 mandates for 35 states.
The Cold War also resulted in demand for Swiss services, with 24 mandates held in 1973. Since then, however, the number of mandates has dropped. The country currently exercises seven protecting power mandatesExternal link: Iran in Egypt, the US in Iran, Russia in Georgia, Georgia in Russia, Iran in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia in Iran and since June 2019 Iran in Canada.
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Russia rejects protecting power mandate agreed by Switzerland and Ukraine
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Russia has said Switzerland is no longer neutral and cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine.
Need a diplomatic messenger? Switzerland is eager to help
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Switzerland's “protecting power” mandates have nearly doubled in the last few years. So why is there rising interest in this Swiss good office?
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As tensions and oil prices rise in the Middle East, the Swiss foreign ministry is offering its good offices. But what are they?
Switzerland to represent US interests in Venezuela
This content was published on
Switzerland is to represent the interests of the United States in Venezuela, under a “good offices” agreement between the two countries.
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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.