After yesterday’s tough response from the Swiss Senate to a provocation attempt by the Dashnak lobby from Geneva, today the government of this country has hammered the final nail into the coffin of revanchist hopes.
As we reported, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss Senate unanimously rejected the provocative initiative of the Geneva Parliament under the loud title “Annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh. Release of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan.” The document was deemed one-sided, making demands solely of Azerbaijan, and generally unfit for discussion in the plenary sessions of Parliament.
Not even a day had passed before the Swiss government gave an absolutely clear and unambiguous response to the inquiry of the ardent Azerbaijanophobe, MP Erich von Tobel, regarding the measures taken to organize the so-called “Peace Forum for Nagorno-Karabakh on the Return of Armenians.”
To avoid any ambiguity, here is essentially the full text of the position of the Federal Council — the Government of the Swiss Confederation:
“Switzerland does not recognize ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ as a state entity. Accordingly, it does not maintain contacts with its so-called ‘representatives’. The official interlocutors of the Swiss authorities are the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs examined the implementation of the resolution during political consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on March 28, 2025, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan on April 25, 2025. Representatives of both countries prioritize a peace agreement and the normalization of relations. Important progress in this direction was achieved on March 13, 2025, when Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the text of a peace agreement. Negotiations with the aim of signing the agreement are ongoing. Furthermore, the Azerbaijani authorities have made it clear that Azerbaijan does not recognize ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ as a state entity. Therefore, Azerbaijan cannot consider holding the conference provided for in the resolution. In light of the positions expressed by the parties concerned, planning the peace forum proposed in the resolution is currently impossible. Switzerland supports constructive steps taken by the parties and offers its good offices within a framework acceptable to the respective states.”
Translated from diplomatic into plain language, the meaning is clear: the parties have their own peace agenda and a common position on key issues. First, one of the parties does not wish to discuss the proposed topic at all. Second, both countries do not want interference from politicians like von Tobel in their work on the future. Switzerland is ready to offer its mediation services only if both parties desire it — and at present, that desire does not exist.
So, “dear” provocateur MPs, back off and let us build our future ourselves.
It is worth noting that such MPs indeed cost the Dashnak revanchists in Switzerland dearly. Imagine how much was spent to push this resolution through parliament, to create an initiative group of 16 MPs for its international promotion, to organize trips to the UK and the US, and to try to enlist at least a couple of politicians from there… All for a result equal to zero.
It is telling that Swiss liberal Simonetta Sommaruga, the ultra-religious von Tobel, and Russian chauvinists like Solovyov and Simonyan, despite being on opposite political poles, are today repeating the same talking points and acting in the same vein. This no longer surprises anyone but is increasingly met with rejection — including in Europe itself.
The process, it seems, has already begun. It started in Switzerland — a country known for its unique combination of liberal and conservative values. But it appears it can no longer be stopped. To be continued.
