Positive, but also not very countable and a lot of tension: Berset takes stock of the UN. Embarrassing mistake: the CDU actually believes that this dome is in Germany

Federal President Alain Berset drew a positive conclusion from this year’s UN summit in New York – even though there was hardly any tangible progress. This is what the Federal President says about…

The debate on the Security Council

“You can see that after more than three years of the pandemic, people are ready to meet again,” Berset told media representatives in New York. “We need these interpersonal connections, face to face, not through the screen. There is no politics without personal contacts,” said the federal councilor, who will leave at the end of this year. “We are not robots.”

This was also evident from Wednesday’s open debate in the Security Council on Russian aggression in Ukraine. For the first time since the start of the war, the UN managed to bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his American counterpart Anthony Blinken and numerous presidents from around the world to the same table. “It was an emotional and important debate. At the end of this meeting there will be no solution, but the fact that we can talk about it is progress,” Berset said.

Tensions at the UN

The tensions that prompted Russian aggression at the UN are enormous. “You can feel this incredibly negative development; it leads to a kind of blockage in some parts of the organization,” says Berset.

The war also stimulated other global crises, leading to a massive increase in social and economic inequality. “If the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, the world will face an enormous challenge,” Berset told the Keystone-SDA news agency in New York.

Berset’s speech: Russia must withdraw troops

In his speech before the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Berset called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, end the war and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine grossly violates the Charter,” Berset told the most powerful UN body. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj appeared at the same location on Wednesday and promoted his peace plan.

Switzerland’s role in the war in Ukraine

Switzerland is committed to Ukraine to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population, bring justice to the victims and promote a political solution to the conflict, Berset said. “We have opened our doors to people fleeing war, providing humanitarian support and working with the Ukrainian government in the reconstruction process.”

The tasks ahead of Ukraine are enormous. Berset gave an example: in Ukraine an area four times the size of Switzerland was mined. Switzerland is helping to clear humanitarian mines with its know-how and material supplies. (lacquer/sda)