Swiss ambassador about to conclude her tenure

July 20, Pozirk. Outgoing Swiss Ambassador Christine Honegger Zolotukhin met with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryžankoŭ in Minsk on July 20.

The diplomats discussed prospects of Belarusian-Swiss relations and exchanged views of the situation in the region and in the world, the Belarusian foreign ministry reported.

Switzerland is one of the few Western nations that has an ambassador in Minsk, who arrived in 2022 after Belarus freed Natalla Hersche, a Belarusian-born citizen of Switzerland convicted over 2020 protests. Honegger Zolotukhin presented her credentials to Alakasandar Łukašenka.

Switzerland has aligned itself with most of the EU sanctions targeting individuals and legal entities in Belarus.

Alaksandar Hanievič, the Belarusian ambassador to Switzerland, told Russia’s RIA Novosti this past April that Minsk is not interested in a long-term freeze of relations with Switzerland despite tension. 

Bern should keep in mind long-term prospects instead of copying the EU sanctions, he said, acknowledging Minsk’s current difficulties in relations with Brussels.

Belarus continues to struggle with resuming dialogue with the Swiss authorities, which have significantly reduced official contacts with Minsk in the recent years, Hanievič said, blaming Bern for the tension.

He noted Switzerland’s “balanced and pragmatic position on Belarus” in contrast to other Western countries, and credited Bern with maintaining communication channels.

As global politics take a turn to unpredictability, Belarus and Switzerland have to be ready to reset relations “in order not to regret the lost time and opportunities,” Hanievič noted.

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