(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
New US Ambassador Scott Miller believes Switzerland has made“tremendous progress” in adopting sanctions against Russia, but that more could be done to close loopholes when it comes to finding Russian oligarchs' funds.
This content was published on August 13, 2022 - 12:41 August 13, 2022 - 12:41 Tages-Anzeiger/jdp
“Neutrality has never been a static model. It must be continuously adapted to the circumstances. Switzerland's good offices will continue to be needed,” said Miller in a wide-ranging interviewExternal link in the German-language paper Tages-Anzeiger. “For example, Switzerland could one day serve as a conference venue that Russia and Ukraine could use.”
Miller, who took up the US ambassador post in Bern in January, said that not adopting sanctions against Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine would have caused even greater damage to the Swiss financial sectors reputation.
He, however, argued that Switzerland should join the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs Task Force initiated by the US government to track down Russian assets hiding in shell companies and trusts in the country.
Trade deal
The ambassador also offered thoughts on advancing free trade between the US and Switzerland. Negotiations on a free trade agreement have stalled with a key sticking point Swiss agriculture tarrifs. Trade between the two countries has grown though. In April, the US surpassed Germany to become Switzerland's largest export market for the first time.
“We can take steps towards free trade by entering into sectoral agreements,” said Miller. A key opportunity he sees is in the pharmaceutical industry where the two countries are in the process of“facilitating trade”. The pharma and chemical industry accounts for nearly two-thirds of Swiss exports to the US.
More
More
US and Switzerland working on pharma agreement, says US ambassador
This content was published on Jun 26, 2022 Jun 26, 2022
In the absence of a free trade deal, the two countries are focused on specific sectoral agreements, Scott Miller has revealed.
In response to questions about Switzerland's free trade agreement with China, Miller said that he plans to raise the issue of labour exploitation in China, specifically the allegations of forced labour of the minority Uyghur population with counterparts in the Swiss government.
More
More
The changing face of International Geneva
International Geneva is an important hub for multilateralism. But it is facing some unprecedented challenges.
Articles in this story
- US and Switzerland working on pharma agreement, says US ambassador
- The changing face of International Geneva
MENAFN13082022000210011054ID1104692309
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.