“The consequences would be economic shocks far beyond what we are currently experiencing in the war in Ukraine,” Swiss ambassador Thomas Gürber said in the Saturday edition of the Tamedia newspapers. He is Deputy Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and heads the United Nations Department in the FDFA.
The fact that Switzerland does not recognize Taiwan as a state does not mean that there are no obligations under international law. “There are also when it comes to autonomous local authorities,” says Gürber. Switzerland decides on any sanctions on the basis of a balancing of interests. In the event of an escalation, it assesses whether international law has been violated. “Switzerland would accept UN sanctions as always.”
For the first time in its history, Switzerland will take a seat in the UN Security Council on Sunday. For two years she will be a member of the most powerful political body in the world. During this time, Gürber will clarify Switzerland’s position on certain issues in Bern. The team around Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl in New York, the seat of the UN Security Council, “is carrying out the instructions at the negotiating table,” Gürber said.
(SDA)