Neutral Swiss President Urges Return of Crimea to Ukraine at International Conference

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The president of neutral Switzerland has urged the return of the Crimean Peninsula to Ukraine, a demand from Western countries.

Ignazio Cassis, President of Switzerland, said in a virtual speech at the "2nd Crimea Platform" held in Ukraine on the 23rd (local time), "Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty must be restored immediately."

The Crimea Platform is an international conference first held last year to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence day (August 24), when it declared independence from the former Soviet Union. It is a forum to seek international solidarity measures for the return of the Crimean Peninsula, which was forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014.

President Cassis stated, "I emphasize Switzerland's firm support for the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people facing Russia's military aggression."

Recently, Switzerland, as a neutral country, offered to handle consular affairs for Ukrainians in Russia, but was effectively rejected by Russia.

Russia explained the reason, saying, "Switzerland's neutrality has been compromised to some extent, so it cannot mediate the Ukraine issue."

Meanwhile, Switzerland is following the EU's sanctions exactly, including additional sanctions banning imports of Russian gold and listing Viktor Yanukovych (72), the pro-Russian former president of Ukraine known to be involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on the sanctions list.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.