You're reading: Duma speaker: Swiss parliament was forced to postpone their meeting ‘under external pressure’

Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin believes that the leadership of the Swiss parliament has postponed an earlier planned official meeting with him in Switzerland "under external pressure".

“In my opinion, the world-known principle of Swiss neutrality has
always allowed the country to assume such a calm and objective position
and listen to all opinions on complex problems. In this case, it is
obvious that our Swiss colleagues were forced to betray this principle
under external pressure,” he told reporters on Aug. 15.

Naryshkin said he had been informed on Aug. 14 evening that his
Swiss counterpart had proposed postponing their meeting as part of
events marking the 200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between Russia and Switzerland.

“Beyond any doubt, I sincerely regret the loss of such a good
symbolic opportunity to hold a meeting and official talks on issues
concerning the development of bilateral cooperation between our
countries, including at the level of parliaments,” he said.

The cancellation of the meeting is also regrettable because such
contacts between parliaments are important today, when, “I would say,
tensions are running too high” in Europe, Naryshkin said.

In any case, such a stance assumed by the Swiss parliament does not
reflect well on Switzerland as a strong, sovereign and democratic state,
Naryshkin said.

“Such outwardly effective gestures cannot always be harmless.
Sometimes, they may entail sad and long-lasting consequences, which
historians will then have to explain,” the State Duma speaker said.

European nations have vast historical experience and good historical
memory, which, “unfortunately, relies on the lessons of the two world
wars,” Naryshkin said.

“One would think that this historical memory should give the cue that
unilateral measures, sanctions and over-compromising may lead to both
counter-constructive and sorrowful consequences,” he said.

Naryshkin, however, said he was convinced that Switzerland’s habit to
act decently in relations with other countries would prevail over “this
para-political commotion, and all sensible and constructive political
figures will rally around common human values, which have always been
unconditional for us, the Russians.”

A Russian parliamentary delegation will attend ceremonies making the
200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between
Russia and Switzerland, he said.

“We will honor our commitments, and we will certainly implement all
earlier reached agreements because we do not allow ourselves any
improper behavior,” he said.

It was announced on Thursday that the Swiss authorities had decided
to cancel State Duma Speaker Naryshkin’s official visit to Switzerland
citing the current political situation.