By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, June 4 (Reuters) – Switzerland will deploy around 4,000 troops inside its territory to reinforce security as world leaders gather for the G7 summit in neighboring France in mid-June, the Swiss army said on Thursday.
The June 15 to 17 summit, to be held across Lake Geneva in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, will bring together leaders from the world’s major economies, including U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside other high-level delegations.
The scale of the event and its proximity to the Swiss border require close coordination between civilian and military authorities, the unit that plans and manages the Swiss Armed Forces said. Protests are anticipated.
“The proximity to the border presents a major challenge for security authorities in the cantons of Vaud, Geneva and Valais. As a result, the Federal Council and Parliament have decided on a subsidiary security deployment of the army,” the Swiss army’s Defence Group said in a statement.
Military personnel will be tasked with protecting critical infrastructure, including Geneva Airport, bolstering border surveillance, and monitoring key transport routes and Lake Geneva, it said.
Switzerland’s air force will also step up air policing, with airspace restrictions in place from June 10 to June 19, and will provide counter-drone systems and protection against nuclear, biological and chemical threats, the statement added.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
