Switzerland Hopes To Create 'Friendly Environment' At Putin-Biden Summit - Trade Leader

Switzerland hopes to create a "friendly environment" to facilitate the upcoming discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden in Geneva, Svetlana Chiriaeva, the president of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce, told Sputnik in an interview

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2021) Switzerland hopes to create a "friendly environment" to facilitate the upcoming discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden in Geneva, Svetlana Chiriaeva, the president of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce, told Sputnik in an interview.

"We hope to create a friendly environment for the supreme leaders of Russia and the United States, the same way as we did at the meeting of, for example, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 in Geneva," Chiriaeva said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

The Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce president added that Switzerland is still committed to its long-standing position of neutrality, which was enshrined in the Treaty of Paris more than two centuries ago.

"Since Switzerland was recognized by all the states as a neutral country, with the continuous support by the Russian Tsar Alexander I, in 1815, it has become a noble duty for Switzerland to offer services for the mediation of disputes, helped by being the headquarters for the International Red Cross," Chiriaeva said.

Presidents Putin and Biden are set to meet in the Swiss city of Geneva on June 16 in their first face-to-face meeting since the latter took office.

Both Moscow and Washington have said that they do not expect the summit to resolve all the issues complicating bilateral relations, but Putin has said that he is heading to Geneva with the aim of reviving ties between Russia and the United States.