Relationship dossier
Belarus
Switzerland
Relationship assessment
Sanctions and reciprocal restrictions have strained Belarus–Switzerland relations.
Belarus toward Switzerland
-20Belarus included Switzerland among states it considers unfriendly and applied related restrictions, including measures affecting payments to creditors from such states.
Switzerland toward Belarus
-35Switzerland imposed restrictive measures on Belarusian officials and entities after the 2020 political crackdown and later expanded measures in response to Belarus’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Overall relationship
-25The relationship is substantially shaped by Switzerland’s sanctions against Belarus and Belarus’s corresponding treatment of Switzerland as an unfriendly state. These measures have strained bilateral ties, while the scope of practical cooperation beyond them is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Relations have been strained by Switzerland’s restrictive measures against Belarusian officials and entities, first adopted after the 2020 political crackdown and later expanded in response to Belarus’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. Belarus has treated Switzerland as an unfriendly state and applied related restrictions. The scope of practical bilateral cooperation alongside these measures is less clear.
Areas of tension
- Swiss sanctions against Belarusian officials and entities
- Belarusian restrictions affecting states classified as unfriendly, including Switzerland
- Belarus’s political crackdown following the 2020 election
- Belarus’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine
Key developments
Switzerland adopted restrictive measures against Belarus following the political crackdown after the 2020 election.
Belarus included Switzerland among states considered unfriendly and applied related restrictions.
Switzerland expanded restrictive measures on Belarus in response to its support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of ongoing bilateral cooperation outside sanctions is unclear.
- The implementation and practical effects of Belarusian restrictions concerning Switzerland are unclear.