On the eve of the Swiss national holiday, Wednesday 31 July, Ignazio Cassis will speak in Krauchthal in the canton of Bern. The next morning, on Thursday 1 August, he will begin the day's festivities with brunch and a speech in L'Etivaz in the canton of Vaud. He will end the day in Chiasso in the canton of Ticino. On Friday 2 August, he will travel to Zuoz in the canton of Graubünden to give a speech at the official opening of the '100 onns Lia Rumantscha' festival.

With four stops in four languages for the 1 August celebrations, Mr Cassis is honouring Switzerland's linguistic and cultural diversity. This pluralism – the cornerstone of the Swiss identity – is undeniably an asset for the country, both at home and on the international stage. "I want to bring together what belongs together. So we can be proud to call ourselves a country made up of four different cultures," he explains.