State Secretary Livia Leu paid a working visit to Washington on 8 and 9 June 2021. She held talks with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and other high-ranking representatives of the US Department of State, the National Security Council and the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury.
The meetings in Washington were an opportunity to further strengthen Switzerland's excellent relations with the United States.
The visit focused on Switzerland's mandate as protecting power for the United States in Iran. The Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement for the delivery of humanitarian goods to Iran was also discussed in this context. Other topics of bilateral interest included taxation and sanctions policy. Also discussed was the scope for expanding Swiss–-US cooperation in areas such as democracy, human rights, peacebuilding and digitalisation.
The State Secretary's choice of Switzerland's biggest non-European partner for her first overseas visit underscores how important the United States is to Switzerland. "Switzerland and the United States maintain close ties, both economically and scientifically, and through Switzerland's good offices", Ms Leu said on the occasion of her visit to Washington.
Next stop New York
Ms Leu will travel on to New York today for a 2two-day visit, where talks will focus on the UN, and especially Switzerland's UN Security Council candidacy for the 2023–24 period. Meetings are also scheduled with various representatives from the UN and other UN member states.
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