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GENEVA

Fire next to Geneva Airport disrupts flights

Flights to and from Geneva Airport were temporarily disrupted on Friday after a major fire broke out just beyond the perimeter fence, a spokesman for Switzerland's second-busiest airport told AFP.

Published: 20 May 2022 22:48 CEST
Fire next to Geneva Airport disrupts flights
Fire next to Geneva Airport disrupts flights File Photo : (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Black smoke could initially be seen spewing from a construction site intended to be a future centre for asylum seekers.

“Due to a fire at the edge of the runway, landings and take-offs have been suspended since 5:35pm (1535 GMT),” the airport said on Twitter.

“A reopening of the runway, for take-offs initially, is envisaged around 7:00pm (1700 GMT).”

Airport spokesman Ignace Jeannerat in the evening told AFP that the fire was “under control”, but staff needed to “secure the area and remove the debris”.

The fire was “outside the airport perimeter” and “creating a lot of smoke”, he said.

At around 1630 GMT, an AFP journalist noted that there were no visible flames or smoke. Firefighters continued to hose down the building, which is surrounded by scaffolding and tarpaulins.

Some inbound flights were diverted to Lyon and Basel.

Geneva is Switzerland’s second-busiest airport after Zurich. Wedged in on the edge of Swiss territory, the runway is next to the border with France.

In 2021, the airport welcomed more than 5.9 million passengers, down from the pre-pandemic level of nearly 18 million in 2019.

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GENEVA

Can Geneva still claim to be the ‘capital of peace’?

The Swiss city has traditionally been a space for diplomacy and international relations. But does Geneva still merit this title?

Published: 8 May 2024 12:06 CEST
Updated: 12 May 2024 08:26 CEST
Can Geneva still claim to be the 'capital of peace'?

Geneva has been the scene of numerous negotiations and agreements since the end of World War Two.

According to the United Nations, the city’s “humanitarian tradition, strategic location in a neutral country, and political stability make it an obvious choice to host a variety of diplomatic meetings”.

These are just some of the top-level meetings held in Geneva in the past decades, which have earned it the nickname of the “capital of peace”:

1985: After a long stretch of Cold War, former US President Ronald Reagan met and (shook hands) with USSR leader Mikhaïl Gorbachev 

1994: The then US president Bill Clinton met former president of Syria, Hafez al-Assad
 
2009: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with Russian minister of foreign affairs, Sergei Lavrov
 
2013: Iranian nuclear negotiations
 
2021: Summit between US president Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putinshakes hands with US President Joe Biden prior to their meeting in Geneva. Photo: Denis Balibouse/AFP

You can see all the other major meetings in Geneva here. 

However, since Biden met Putin in May 2021, no major meetings have been held in Geneva – either regularly or consistently.

Why is that?

Russia’s interference
 
Blame it on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After that event in February 2022, Switzerland’s image took a beating in Putin’s eyes.

That’s because the country froze the assets of Russian oligarchs held in Swiss banks, closed its airspace to Russian airlines, and generally followed all of EU sanctions against Kremlin.

Because of these actions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Switzerland as an “openly hostile country”.

As for the Russia’ ambassador to Bern, Sergey Garmonin, he said that Switzerland “has lost its credibility as an impartial international platform and cannot be regarded a mediator in addressing the crisis in Ukraine”, according to Russia’ official news agency, TASS.

In fact, due to Switzerland’s stance on Russia, Putin “reciprocated” by pressuring his ally, Syria, to suspend its peace talks that have been held in Geneva since 2016.

Is Switzerland’s role as the hub of international diplomacy really doomed?

Not quite yet.

On June 15th and 16th, the country will host a high-level peace conference for Ukraine at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne.

High-level officials from dozens of countries will attend, though Russia already said it would not participate in the summit.

READ ALSO: Switzerland to host Ukraine peace conference without Russian involvement 

What about Geneva – will it be able to maintain its diplomatic role?

Russia’s interference has undoubtedly inflicted some damage, as evidenced by its stance on Switzerland in general, and its pressure toward Syrian peace talks in particular.

However, given that Geneva has been “at it” for many decades, and successfully so, it is too early to count it out as the world’s “peace capital”.

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