On August 11, 2025, discussions on the Karabakh issue were held in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss Council of States (the upper house of the Swiss parliament). The initiatives titled “Annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh. Political prisoners in Azerbaijan” and “Protection of Armenian cultural heritage,” submitted by the Geneva canton parliament, were discussed at the meeting.
These documents put forward unilateral accusations against Azerbaijan, demanded a ban on the import of Azerbaijani products into Switzerland, and called for the recognition of the “right to self-determination” of Armenians in Karabakh.
Ignazio Cassis: There is no humanitarian crisis in Karabakh
The committee deemed these proposals one-sided and biased and decided not to bring them to the plenary session. According to the official position, such documents contradict Switzerland’s principles of balanced and neutral foreign policy. This step also confirmed Switzerland’s intention to maintain a neutral stance in the conflict.
Speaking at the meeting, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis emphasized that the situation in Karabakh does not constitute a humanitarian crisis. He stated that Switzerland would promote dialogue between the parties but would not take a position against Azerbaijan.
Biased documents rejected
Note that in December 2024, the National Council supported the initiative of a “peace forum for the safe return of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh,” and in March 2025, the Council of States adopted Motion No. 24.4259. Based on this decision, a multi-party committee called the “Swiss Peace Initiative” was established.
The rejection of biased documents at the latest meeting demonstrated that the Swiss Parliament, despite internal political and diaspora pressures, remains committed to international law and the principles of neutrality. This stance strengthens Switzerland’s position as a reliable partner for future mediation missions.
Displacement of 700,000 Azerbaijanis was not reflected in the document
Vasif Huseynov, head of the department at the Center of Analysis of International Relations (CAIR), said in an interview with APA that this project is full of vile allegations against the Azerbaijani state and people.
“The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States, the upper chamber of the Swiss Parliament, on August 11, 2025, rejected the draft resolution titled ‘Annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan’ related to the former occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This draft was full of vile allegations against the Azerbaijani state and people. The fact that Azerbaijani lands were occupied for 30 years was not taken into account, and no attention was paid to this issue. The displacement of nearly 700,000 Azerbaijani citizens from their ancestral lands, the difficulties they faced in returning to the liberated territories, the landmines in those areas, and the destruction of people’s homes and settlements were not mentioned. Instead, the draft referred to a so-called regime and alleged that Azerbaijan forcibly expelled Armenians living in those territories or carried out ethnic cleansing against them. Such unfounded allegations were reflected in the draft,” he said.
Switzerland accepts Azerbaijani realities
The expert recalled that the draft was not adopted as a result of the direct intervention and efforts of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Swiss Confederation: “The important point here is that this document was put forward with the direct participation of representatives of radical groups in Armenia, their connections with pro-Armenian MPs and parliamentarians, as well as the activities of Armenian lobbyists. Earlier this year, the Armenian press wrote that representatives of radical Armenian groups had repeatedly visited Switzerland, met with parliamentarians there, and as a result of these meetings, a proposal for the 'creation of a Dialogue platform between Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh representatives' was prepared and planned to be introduced in the Swiss parliament in March 2025.”
Vasif Huseynov noted that it was clearly visible that completely biased and untruthful initiatives that would hinder the peace process in the South Caucasus were being put forward in the Swiss parliament: “However, the rejection of the last resolution by the parliament on August 10 showed that the new realities created by the Republic of Azerbaijan are now accepted by all countries of the world, including Switzerland. They understand that such documents, initiated by radical Armenian groups, do not contribute to peace in the South Caucasus; on the contrary, they harm Switzerland’s relations with the countries of the region, especially Azerbaijan. Especially after the agreements reached in Washington on August 8, the adoption of such statements and resolutions can only be regarded as insidious projects threatening peace and stability in the South Caucasus, and it is impossible to present them as peace-loving steps.”
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
ANALYSIS'>
