which has also contributed to diplomatic meetings often being held there, treaties often being negotiated there, and headquarters or offices of international and intergovernmental organizations often being based there.
The Swiss neutrality policy would seem to imply that you would be safer overall meeting there or that you could trust the government not to have an alliance which would mean it was helping some other country undermine your activities in Switzerland. So this reporting on Crypto AG as well as this company can be seen as a criticism that the Swiss government failed to uphold its principles of neutrality, or perhaps (depending on the degree to which the government was involved or aware or not) that the companies were getting a benefit from the international perception of the famous Swiss neutrality while themselves having political dealings with particular governments.
I think Snowden also mentions in his autobiography that, because there is so much international activity and discussion in Switzerland, other countries' spy agencies also like to spy on Switzerland and goings-on there -- including him when he was working for the CIA. People who are trying to rely on Switzerland's neutrality might hope that Switzerland succeeds in deterring much of that spying activity, and at least doesn't participate in, condone, or encourage it.
A couple of years ago, there was a discussion here in switzerland about the US embassy had antennas on the roof for spying. But of course, the swiss gouverment said, there is nothing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_neutrality
which has also contributed to diplomatic meetings often being held there, treaties often being negotiated there, and headquarters or offices of international and intergovernmental organizations often being based there.
Just in Geneva you have https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva#International_organisat... and that doesn't include all the treaties, one-off diplomatic conferences and meetings, or confidential diplomatic interactions.
The Swiss neutrality policy would seem to imply that you would be safer overall meeting there or that you could trust the government not to have an alliance which would mean it was helping some other country undermine your activities in Switzerland. So this reporting on Crypto AG as well as this company can be seen as a criticism that the Swiss government failed to uphold its principles of neutrality, or perhaps (depending on the degree to which the government was involved or aware or not) that the companies were getting a benefit from the international perception of the famous Swiss neutrality while themselves having political dealings with particular governments.
I think Snowden also mentions in his autobiography that, because there is so much international activity and discussion in Switzerland, other countries' spy agencies also like to spy on Switzerland and goings-on there -- including him when he was working for the CIA. People who are trying to rely on Switzerland's neutrality might hope that Switzerland succeeds in deterring much of that spying activity, and at least doesn't participate in, condone, or encourage it.