MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2022) Russia's assessment of Switzerland's decision to suspend the agreement facilitating mutual issuance of visas is negative as it indicates Bern's further shift away from neutrality, Oleg Tyapkin, the head of the Russian foreign ministry's Third European Department, told Sputnik.
"(Our assessment is) certainly negatively. This decision made by Switzerland once again confirms that the country is backsliding on the neutrality principles and devalues the confederation's reputation of 'honest broker,' which has brought many dividends and advantages to Bern on the global stage in the past," Tyapkin said.
Switzerland suspended the visa deal with Russia on September 19. It also suspended a bilateral agreement on tax information exchange, just ahead of a new round of information exchange in September.
Switzerland has repeatedly joined EU sanctions against Russia in response to Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine despite its proclaimed neutrality. In August, the country's largest party with parliament representation, the Swiss People's Party, said that the sanctions imposed by Switzerland against Russia violated the country's commitment to neutrality and, therefore, its constitution.
