Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter (L) and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, met in Moscow on October 25, 2012.
Bern does not support unilateral sanctions against Iran: Swiss FM
Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter says his country does not support any unilateral sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear energy program.
Burkhalter told reporters after a Thursday meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow that Bern is against unilateral sanctions on Iran, ITAR-TASS reported.
He stressed that Switzerland will never back unilateral sanctions imposed by any alliance other than the United Nations Security Council, adding, “As a rule, we don’t support such sanctions.”
This is not the first time that Bern opposes unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Last month, Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf censured unilateral Western sanctions against Iran and described the bans as ‘unacceptable’.
She said that Switzerland does not agree with the bans and will continue economic relations with Iran within the framework of the UN decisions.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program with Washington and the European Union using that false claim to impose illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Iran refutes the allegation and argues that as a signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Experts maintain that illegal sanctions imposed on Iran mostly target the Iranian nation and have been even extended to medicines vital to a large group of Iranian patients, especially those with various kinds of chronic diseases and cancer.
Press TV
AR/SS