08.11.2010
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Press releases
EDA
The Swiss Government regrets that the multi-party elections on 7 November 2010 in Myanmar took place in an environment in which the freedoms of expression and association as well as the freedom of the press were massively restricted.
05.11.2010
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Press releases
EDA
Switzerland and Nigeria have today successfully concluded negotiations on a migration partnership between the two countries. This was the highlight of a working visit of the Permanent Secretary of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Martin Uhomoibhi, in Bern, where he met with the State Secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Peter Maurer, and the Director of the Swiss Federal Office for Migration, Alard du Bois-Reymond.
03.11.2010
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey, the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), will visit the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait on 6-7 November 2010 for talks.
28.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
The XIIIth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Francophonie, held in Montreux on 23 and 24 October under the presidency of Doris Leuthard, President of the Swiss Confederation, culminated in the Montreux Declaration, a substantive text accompanied by several resolutions. Switzerland welcomes the constructive and concrete results achieved by this summit, which also opened its doors to the public with numerous special literary and cultural events. The Secretary General of the Francophonie, Abdou Diouf, was elected for a third four-year term. The next Summit of the Francophonie will be hosted by the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012.
26.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
The SDC is sending two drinking water experts to Haiti. These will work together with the national authorities and support them in the testing and production of clean drinking water in rural areas. The goal is to ensure there is a secure source of drinking water in every municipality checked. In this way SDC is helping to tackle the causes of the disease in the fight against cholera.
25.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) welcomes the excellent organisation and hosting of the XIIIth Summit of the Francophonie, which was held from 22-24 October in Montreux. Some 40 heads of state and government, as well as delegations representing member and observer countries of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (IOF) were welcomed to this successful high-level conference. The FDFA would like to emphasise the engagement of all partners involved in this Summit. The department extends its warm thanks to them.
22.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
President Doris Leuthard, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA), today received the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper at the Lohn country residence in Kehrsatz for an official visit. The Canadian Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and for La Francophonie, Josée Verner. Federal Councillors Mich-eline Calmy-Rey and Hans-Rudolf Merz were also present. During the visit, a protocol was signed amending the Double Taxation Agreement between Switzerland and Canada. The dele-gations also officially announced an expansion of the bilateral aviation agreement.
21.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
The 2010 Ministerial Conference of French-speaking Countries concluded its work today, under the aegis of the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Micheline Calmy-Rey, in the run-up to the XIII Francophonie Summit to be held on 23-24 October in Montreux. At this meeting the Ministerial Conference reaffirmed the position of French-speaking countries as a major player in international relations that can act as a forum for consultation, cooperation and influence both before and after discussions and decisions taken in other spheres. It also emphasized the solidarity of French-speaking countries in addressing the new challenges such as sustainable development, education and innovation.
21.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
“Global Compact” aims to integrate private-sector companies into international efforts in the field of development cooperation. In 2010, Global Compact will celebrate its tenth anniversary. To mark the occasion, experts will take part in a discussion on 26 October organized by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development on the achievements to date and the challenges of the future.
19.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
D’intesa con le autorità del Cantone Grigioni e del Tirolo, il Dipartimento federale dell’ambiente, dei trasporti, dell’energia e delle comunicazioni (DATEC) ha rilasciato alla società Gemeinschaftswerk Inn GmbH (GKI) una concessione per lo sfruttamento della forza idrica del fiume Inn e un’autorizzazione edilizia per la realizzazione di una centrale tra le località di Martina (in Svizzera) e Prutz (in Austria).
18.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
A few days before the opening of the 13th Summit of French-Speaking Communities (22-24 October 2010) the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Micheline Calmy-Rey, has reiterated the importance of the event that Switzerland is about to host. Seventy countries will be represented in Montreux, around forty by their heads of state and government. Micheline Calmy-Rey also reiterated that Switzerland’s wish was to introduce new ideas in both the programmes and the topics discussed to make this summit into a political meeting.
18.10.2010
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey met the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley, today in Bern. They discussed various issues, including development aid, the environment and human rights. During his visit to Switzerland, Mr Thinley also had discussions with the President of the Confederation, Doris Leuthard, as well as with Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger.