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Western countries are considered hypocritical for imposing sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, but are still secretly doing business with Moscow. Photo/REUTERS
BERN – Western countries are considered arrogant and hypocritical because they have imposed sanctions on Russia but are still doing business with Moscow behind the scenes.
This assessment was conveyed by the CEO of Swatch Group, Nick Hayek, to the SonntagsBlick newspaper on Sunday (24/9/2023). Swatch Group is a Swiss watchmaking giant.
Hayek said Western countries showed double standards when it came to the conflict in Ukraine and opposed efforts to end the fighting through diplomacy.
“The whole world seems to act only on ideology. Take the war in Ukraine for example. We all want this conflict to end. “People are dying every day, no matter which side they are on,” said the famous watch boss.
“In the past, people tried to find solutions through diplomacy. Nowadays, you can’t do that anymore, otherwise you will be accused of betraying freedom and democracy,” he said.
“Progress demands pragmatic solutions. Do you think it would do anyone any good if the German foreign minister called (Chinese President) Xi Jinping a dictator?” Hayek said referring to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s recent statement.
When asked whether he thought Western countries were “arrogant”, Hayek replied that they were also “hypocritical”. This, he said, could be seen from the sanctions they imposed on Russia.
“They enforce it and continue to do business behind the scenes. On the other hand, America benefits because they can now supply gas to Europe. Saudi Arabia suddenly became a very favored energy supplier,” Hayek said, arguing that sanctions would be “just lip service” unless everyone implemented them.
According to Hayek, Switzerland, which has long been known for its neutral stance, can no longer play a positive role in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict because the Swiss government is not focused on diplomacy.