DAVOS: Swiss President Ignazio Cassis on Monday said it is not possible to remain neutral when it comes to international law and that neutrality is not only about standing on sidelines but also about solidarity.
Focussing a major part or his speech before the government and business leaders from across the globe at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 on the war in Ukraine, Cassis said, "Democracy must be stronger than tyranny."
"International law must be stronger than submission...passivity tolerates the violation of law ...thinking larger terms is important when our democratic environment is threatened Neutrality does not mean standing on the sidelines.Neutrality also means solidarity," the Swiss President said.
In an apparent reference to sanctions on Russia, he said, "You cannot be neutral when it comes to international law." In his welcome address, WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said, "The future is not built by accident. The future is built by us."
He said that the four urgent issues before the world and in focus at the WEF meeting are the war in Ukraine, pandemic, climate change and economic equality.
Noting that we are at the "tail end" of COVID, Schwab said, "We have to reinforce our resilience against a new virus possibly, or other risks which we have on the global agenda." He also asked Ukrainians in the hall to stand up and they received a huge round of applause at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.