One of the most important figures of Putin's Russia spoke in Switzerland. And this despite the fact that it is covered by sanctions
The Russian delegation, which, next to Walentina Matwijenko, also included, among others Leonid Słucki and Piotr Tołstoj, got to Switzerland thanks to diplomatic loans: Italy enabled them through the territory of the European Union. In Ukraine, this event was called a disgrace.
Russian delegation under the leadership Valentine Matwijenko She arrived at Geneva on July 27 to take part in the meeting of the Interparliamentary Union. The organizer is not a state authority, but a non -governmental organization: we will talk about how it is organized.
In total, 13 officials came from Moscow, including the leader of the extremely nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (once managed by Vladimir Żyrinowski) Leonid Słucki and the Vice -President of the State Duma Piotr Tołstoy. They all appear on the EU sanction lists.
In total, delegations from 116 countries were invited to Switzerland. Officials came to Geneva, including from North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Palestine. The latter has the status of a UN observer, but the Interparliamentary Union recognizes her as a full member, and in the national parliament section is mentioned as a sovereign participant.
Matwijenko flew to Geneva through Italy. Why didn't her sanctions stop?
Matwijenko is one of the leading supporters of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Already on March 1, 2014, the chairwoman of the Federation supported the decision on the annexation of Crimea, approving Vladimir Putin's request to use Russian troops in Ukraine. It was she who on February 22, 2024, two days before full invasion, that allowed Putin to use the armed forces in the so -called folk republics in Donbas.
Matwijenko has been on the Swiss sanctions list since 2014. What's more, the sanctions were imposed on it by the EU, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Ukraine. These funds are banned from entering and freezing assets.
Despite this, Matwijenko could come to Switzerland without breaking the law – Russian delegates got special permits for this. The Swiss authorities can make exceptions and allow people covered by sanctions, especially if they participate in international conferences. In the same way, Matwijenko already participated in the conferences of the Inter -Iparliamentary Union in 2016, despite the fact that at that time the sanctions against it had been in force for the third year.
To reach Geneva, the Russian delegation used a government aircraft. Officials left Russia in the Black Sea region, and then flew over Turkey and the Mediterranean. According to the data of the Flightradar website, the RSD373 aircraft flew to the EU by Italy on July 27.
In response to our question, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the country's authorities may allow Russian officials from the list of sanctions to enter, if they go to an international conference. – As a country, the Switzerland host makes every effort to support the work of international organizations based on its territory, especially in Geneva. According to the stay agreement concluded by [szwajcarski rząd] With the interparliamentary union, Switzerland is responsible for facilitating the entry of official delegates of this organization – the ministry said.
The German MEP from the Sergey Laodinsky green fraction in an interview with the new Gazieta emphasizes that the flight of the Matwijenko aircraft over the EU is a violation of sanctions: – It is essentially a violation of European law and the European Commission may bring the case to the European Court of Justice. However, this is unlikely: there are too many more global problems and issues than Matwijenko and Tolstoy's trip to Geneva – believes the MP.
Matwijenko gave a speech supporting the war. What else is known about her travel?
On July 28, Matwijenko took part in the 15th Summit of Women of Presidents of Parliaments, whose theme was “the” leading role [kobiet przewodniczących parlamentów] in ensuring universal and permanent peace. “From the forum of the forum she gave a speech supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Matwijenko also called on the Donbass gathered to visit the” crimes of the Kiev regime “, she accused other countries of” information war “against Russia and called for the sanctions against Russia.
Matwijenko met with the chairwoman of the Swiss parliament Maya Rynik and chairwoman of the National Assembly of South Africa Angela Didizo. The chairwoman of the Federation Council also conducted talks with the chairwoman of the Interparliamentary Union Tulia Exon, which at the same time conducts the Parliament of Tanzania, a country of East Africa, which did not condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
Matwijenko also took part in the world conference of the President of the Parliaments today. The head of the Federation Council supporting war spoke, among others “The world in chaos: parliamentary cooperation and a multilateral approach to solving problems in the name of peace, justice and everyone's prosperity.” During her speech, many participants left the room.
Ukraine against the arrival of Matwijenko to Geneva. Has anyone else took the floor?
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Matwijenko “has a place on the bench of the accused, not at international conferences”, and her arrival in Geneva is “a disgrace that should never have taken place.”
So far, none of the leading European politicians or the head of European countries has reacted to the arrival of the Russian delegation to Geneva. However, on July 28 in front of the UN headquarters there was a demonstration against the arrival of Matwijenko to Europe.
Who invited Matwijenko to Switzerland?
The Interparliamentary Union is a non -profit organization created in 1889 to cooperate between parliaments of the world. Currently, the Union associates 181 national parliaments, including Russian, and 15 parliaments with the status of associated members.
The official slogan of the interparliamentary Union is: “For democracy. For everyone”. The organization's website reads that the Union strives for a room in which “every voice is important” and “works for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, expanding the rights and possibilities of young people, fighting climate change and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary activities.”
How is Matwijenko different from Giergijew?
Last week, a concert of the famous Russian conductor Walerij Giergijew was dismissed in Italy. The conductor close to Putin was to perform with the Salerno Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra on July 27 during the “Summer King” festival. Permission for the performance was issued by the Governor of the Campaign Region, the populist politician Vincenzo de Luca, criticizing NATO and the EU activities for many years.
