MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) Switzerland today is not really a suitable host country for the UN headquarters, since Bern can no longer act as an "honest broker" in international affairs, Pyotr Ilyichev, the director of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Ilyichev said that the United States was increasingly being questioned about its right to maintain its status as the host country of the central UN agencies because violations by Washington have become more frequent.
"As for the possible transfer of UN headquarters to Switzerland, one cannot ignore Bern's clear departure from the policy of neutrality since the start of our special military operation in Ukraine and Donbas. Undoubtedly, the Swiss, even until February 2022, gravitated toward the EU approaches on the most important international issues, however, the decision to join the anti-Russian EU sanctions finally put an end to their ability to play the role of an 'honest broker'. So, obviously, today Switzerland is hardly a suitable location for the organization headquarters's new home," Ilyichev said.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in response to a request by the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics to protect them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. Western countries have imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia and ramped up their military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine.
