50 years of the Helsinki Accords: Switzerland’s role between the blocs 

Switzerland played an important role in the adoption of this pan-European set of rules in the 1970s. How did the landmark agreement come to life and give rise to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)? We trace its roots with insights from a historian and firsthand accounts from Swiss and Polish diplomats. In the middle of the Cold War, countries on both sides of the Iron Curtain agreed on a set of common fundamental values. Switzerland played a “leading role” in mediating between the blocs on human rights issues, according to a member of the Polish delegation present at the time. Thirty-five European states, the United States and Canada agreed on state sovereignty, inviolability of borders and human rights when they signed the Helsinki Accords in the Finnish capital on August 1, 1975. They committed themselves to respecting the borders of other states and not interfering in internal affairs, resolving disputes peacefully, co-operating economically and ...