Switzerland rejects re-exporting weapons to Ukraine, other conflicts
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The rejection is based on the record 135 no votes to 48 yes votes in the lower house of the Swiss parliament.
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Staff members of the Swiss confederation prepare the flags of Ukraine and Switzerland, ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, July 3, 2022 (AFP)
The lower house of the parliament in Switzerland, the National Council, has confirmed the rejection of the initiative on re-exporting weapons to countries participating in conflicts, including Ukraine, according to its statement on Wednesday.
The statement read, “The National Council does not want a general relaxation of the rules governing the re-export of Swiss weapons to countries involved in conflicts. On Wednesday, it rejected the cantons' parliamentary initiative by 135 votes to 48."
Back in May, Swiss Ambassador to the UN Pascale Baeriswyl affirmed that Switzerland would not allow its weapons to be reexported to Ukraine since its national legislation prevents arms transfer to a country at war.
"When it comes to re-export of weapons, it’s not even a matter of neutrality at the moment. We have a law on exportation of weapons and weapons material and without breaking that law, at the moment it would not be possible to reexport those weapons," Baeriswyl said during a press conference.
The position on arming Ukraine will not change as long as the nation's parliament does not take steps to modify the law, the Ambassador continued.
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Leopards sold back
Just today, Germany expressed its gratitude after Switzerland's decision to sell back some of its German-made Leopard II tanks, which comes after Germany's request in February for Switzerland to sell back a portion of its Leopard II tanks to the manufacturer, Rheinmetall AG.
With Switzerland's strict neutrality laws in mind, Germany has assured Bern that the repurchased tanks will not find their way to Kiev but will either remain within Germany or be transferred to a NATO or European Union ally.
"We are very happy and grateful for this decision," said Michel Fluegger, Germany's ambassador to Switzerland, in an interview for Swiss TV. "We need these tanks; they will help fill the gaps in our arsenal and support our European partners."
The Swiss parliament officially approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard II tanks on Tuesday, paving the way for their resale to Germany.
