The Swiss Senate refused to ban its army from participating in NATO exercises.

The Swiss Senate voted against banning the country’s neutral armed forces from participating in NATO exercises because it would allegedly weaken its defense capabilities, according to a statement published on the Swiss parliament’s website.

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“Switzerland’s participation in joint defense exercises with NATO should not be prohibited. The Cantonal Council (small chamber of parliament) rejected on Wednesday by 29 votes to 12 and after lengthy debate the proposal of the National Council (grand chamber) in this regard,” the document says.

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Senators believe that this text will weaken Switzerland’s defense capabilities and that if the country is attacked, its neutral status will disappear, so the army needs to be ready to defend itself.

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Switzerland is not a member of the EU or NATO, but Bern has joined almost all European sanctions against the Russian Federation since February 24, 2022. The Swiss military will take part in 20 exercises outside its territory and four on its territory in 2024, all of them conducted with the participation of NATO countries.