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It costs 100 francs to fill the tank, and 5 francs to have a snack at the shop at the gas station next door. The money goes directly to the Azerbaijani state treasury and thus helps finance the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus. At least when you fill up at Socar and shop at the Migrolino gas station shop.
After the recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan and the migration of 100 thousand Armenians, the cooperation between Migros and Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar is once again criticized. EDU launched an online petition on Tuesday: “Federal Council Member Cassis and Migros, take action!”
Socar operates approximately 200 petrol stations in Switzerland, 75 of which include Migrolino stores. What few people know when buying fuel is that the stores call it Migrolino and there are Migrolino products on the shelves, but the stores are operated directly by Socar with a franchising agreement. The income goes to Azerbaijan, not Migros.
“Migros is hiding”
“I’m surprised that people have watched Migros do nothing for so long,” says Bernese EDU National Assembly Member Andreas Gafner (52). He calls for Migros to end its cooperation with Socar so that it is no longer an “accomplice”.
When asked about the petition, Migros emphasizes that it is saddened by the current developments in Nagorno-Karabakh. The stance of the Federal Council guides us and it has not imposed any sanctions against Azerbaijan. Gafner criticizes, “Migros is hiding behind the Federal Council.”
Sanctions are not an option
In fact, there are no sanctions in force. Switzerland alone cannot publish it unless the UN, EU or OSCE submits it. The new petition addresses the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, as well as Migros (62). “He must speak at the UN Security Council and condemn the attack,” Gafner demands.
When asked, the EDA Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that it took the petition into account and was committed to supporting the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh. Switzerland made a goodwill offer to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan and expressed its “deep concern” about the conflict in the UN Security Council.
Billions of dollars from oil business
The petition collected nearly 1,000 signatures in the first few hours since it was launched. There should be 10,000 in total. In both cases, the chances of success are slim: Last November, a petition prepared by various non-governmental organizations and political parties called on Migros to reconsider its cooperation with Socar. More than 6,000 people signed the request, and a dispute ensued between the petitioners and Migros without significant success.
Even if Migros ends its cooperation with Socar: for the regime in Azerbaijan, the raw material business is much more important than the income from Migrolino locations, and this is largely done through Switzerland. Socar has subsidiaries in Zurich and Geneva. According to the financial report prepared through Switzerland, Socar generated revenues equivalent to 42 billion francs last year; This accounts for more than half of the state oil company’s total sales. Also, selling coffee and croissants in stores at the Migrolino gas station seems like child’s play.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
