The 61st round of discussions on the South Caucasus held so far in Geneva should be relocated from Switzerland to another country, Russia believes. The Russian delegation, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, who attended the meeting in Geneva on June 25-26, expressed this opinion during a briefing for Russian journalists.
The deputy minister said that “Switzerland, which used to be famous and rightfully proud of its neutrality, has now completely lost it with regard to Russia.” According to Galuzin, Switzerland is now “joining almost all the EU sanctions packages,” which he described as “absolutely illegal.
The Russian diplomat added that Switzerland has also become an unsuitable venue for holding discussions on the South Caucasus due to its hosting of multilateral gatherings aimed at forcing Russia into accepting the deadlocked and impassable so-called ‘Zelensky peace formula’ on Ukraine.
We no longer see this country as an optimal place for holding discussions on the South Caucasus,” said Galuzin.
The current round of discussions on the South Caucasus, which was co-chaired by the UN, EU and OSCE, involved representatives from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia and the United States. The meeting focused on issues related to security, stability and economic development in the region.
Overall, Galuzin said, “the discussions held so far in Geneva have not produced any tangible results,” adding that the Russian delegation will continue to work towards achieving a lasting peace in the South Caucasus.