Switzerland should be able to participate when NATO exercises the alliance case. So when it rehearses how partner countries protect a member country that is under attack. That’s what the State Department proposes in a new neutrality report. It is currently being consulted within the Federal Administration and is available to the SRF. “Sontagszeitung” has already reported on this.
In particular, the Foreign Department writes: “Cooperation can be strengthened in critical areas, such as the participation of the Swiss military in the arts. 5 NATO exercises, [oder] Alignment of exercises on Swiss soil (…)»
How is the proposal received by the Federal Council parties? SP foreign policy officer Fabian Molina says To remain neutral means to continually give up military force. “If you join a backdoor war coalition before you approach the Peace Project in Europe, that’s the abolition of backdoor neutrality.”
In addition, from the point of view of the SP, it should be questioned what Swiss participation in NATO exercises will bring. After all, Switzerland as a neutral state would have to stay out of conflict in an emergency. FDP Vice President Philippe Nantermaud replied: “In the event of a crisis, we will also have to cooperate with NATO.” If Switzerland, as a third country, wants to benefit from NATO’s protective security umbrella, it must also participate in its exercises.
Amherd indicated willingness to cooperate
In a recent meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Defense Minister Viola Amhard stressed that Switzerland wants to work closely with the military alliance. However, when asked whether it is possible to participate in NATO military exercises, he said that it has to be clarified first whether it would be in consonance with neutrality. The Department of Foreign Affairs has now concluded that this is possible within the framework of so-called cooperative neutrality.
The leader of the parliamentary party at the center, Philippe Mathias Bregi, says participating in military exercises is an option for him. But it would be even better if there were clear rules from the outset about how Switzerland can help even in an emergency: “It would be desirable to have a regulation, as provided for in the Treaty of the European Union, that would have neutral and In the event of a non-attack, neutral states are assigned other tasks.” For Switzerland, this would mean that it would commit acts that were not acts of war.
The SVP does not want Swiss militia forces to conduct joint exercises in foreign territory with an invading force.
Meanwhile Thomas Eschey, the leader of the SVP parliamentary group, made a fundamental criticism: “The SVP does not want Swiss militia forces to conduct joint exercises and maneuvers in foreign territory with an invading force.” NATO exercises in Switzerland are also under question.
The State Department also proposed in the neutrality report that the rules for exporting weapons could be relaxed. All states should not be prohibited from re-exporting Swiss weapons at a later time. However, exceptions would only be possible if Switzerland at the time of export assumed that the weapons would not end up in the post-war country.
These proposals are part of the concept of cooperative neutrality that the State Department would like to follow in the future. In addition, the report presents four other concepts of neutrality. The Federal Council is expected to decide in August which one it prefers.