Margret Kiener Nellen, member of Swiss National Council for Socialist Group, submitted a motion to Swiss Federal Council, asking what stand Switzerland will take against the destruction of World Cultural Heritage site Sur in the mainly Kurdish city Diyarbakır (Amed).

Nellen called attention to the policies of the Turkish state that even razes cities to the ground in the south-east of the country for a long time now, and stated the followings in the motion she submitted to the Federal Council;

“The district of Sur which was inscribed on World Heritage List by UNESCO and put under protection is getting systematically demolished since 2015. The local people are getting forcibly displaced and other people are getting settled in these areas. Sur, a world heritage with an 8 thousand years old history, is getting unlawfully destroyed.

Has Switzerland taken any action against the demolition in Sur?

What can Switzerland do against the systematically ongoing destruction of Sur?

Are UNESCO member states working together or do they consider acting on the issue?”

Answering the motion submitted by Nellen, the Federal Council said Switzerland maintains its approach with regard to the situation in Turkey’s southeast since the re-escalation of armed conflict in July 2015, and voiced concerns over what is happening in Turkey and mainly in the Kurdish region.

Arguing that Switzerland defends a permanent peace and political solution for the benefit of Turkey’s peoples, the Federal Council said; “Switzerland calls on the parties to end the armed conflict and respect human rights and international humanitarian law. As the situation in the southeast worsened, Switzerland has repeatedly voiced its readiness to provide active contribution for dialogue between the parties, and continues to do so. However, the Turkish government has rejected this demand of Switzerland or another country, expressing that they want to come up with a solution to the Kurdish question through their own methods.”

Abstaining from giving clear answers to the questions on the destruction of Sur, the Federal Council stated that Switzerland followed the situation concerning Hevsel Gardens and Diyarbakır Fortress that were added on World Heritage List in 2015, and has requested reports from Turkey on this case.